Fist of the Pikachu!
by Hung Nguyen
Summary: Ranma Saotome gets pulled out of his own world and into the world of Pokémon. -Teaser of Chapter 17 Uploaded-
1. Chapter 1: Ranma's New Friend

The god of mischief Toltiir sighed. They were at it again. Even though he had agreed to referee this little contest, he had already started to get one heck of a migraine. He was almost on the verge of regretting ever starting that infamous Bet in the first place. 

"No you can't!"

"Yes I can!"

"No you can't!"

"Yes I can!"

Toltiir then slammed his hand down on the table and said, "Oh will you two stop this!"

Both godlings, Red and Blue, quieted down after Toltiir's outburst and waited for him to compose himself. The god then said in a much calmer voice, "As I remember, you two wanted to play with the various timelines that have been rejected, closed out or just plain discontinued concerning one Ranma Saotome. Now you wanted to create a Bet of your own as to just how off the wall you can make his life."

"Yeah, but Red's not playing fair! He wants to do a crossover!"

"Nothing in the rules says I can't!" Red stuck his tongue out at his sibling. "Uncle Toltiir had lotsa crossovers in HIS bet."

Toltiir winced at the memories of some of the entries of his own Bet. The winner of the Bet, a timeline that Titania called Featherbrite's Tale was getting out of hand lately. Although he did like the timeline in itself, even he was getting a bit overwhelmed at its many twists and turns. This Bet had sparked off countless other repetitions among the pantheon. Now his two nephews wanted to get into the act, and Toltiir had the misfortune of agreeing to baby-sit them while his sister was out on vacation. Once they had come across the scrying well, there was no stopping them.

"I wanna make a change here!" Red chucked in a rock, which skipped across the surface a couple of times before sinking to the bottom. The ripples of the first impact interacted with the ripples of the second. As a result, two totally dissimilar realities became connected.

_Oh no… not THAT UNIVERSE! ANYTHING BUT THAT UNIVERSE! It was bad enough when I had to take these two to go see the movie! _

  


**

Fist of the Pikachu!

**

Introduction: Here we go again! Yet another crossover attempt between our favorite, sex-changing martial artist and another unlikely series. As always, the characters depicted in this story belongs to their respective owners. This story was the result of a temporary bout of insanity that I just had to write!

_Italic:_ Thoughts  
< >: Chinese language

**

Chapter 1

**

Ranma's New Friend

"Stupid old man!" An attractive and well-built, red-haired girl had just finished pounding the living daylights out of a huge panda. A portly Chinese man dressed in the brown uniform of the Guides of Jusenkyo came running up behind him and lifted a kettle.

"Oh no get upset sir! Curse can be reversed with hot water!" The Guide poured some of the steamy liquid over her head. Instantly, the girl's body became less curved and more muscular as she became a he.

"Whew! I thought I was going to stay like that forever!" Ranma ran his hands over his chest and sighed in relief, as he didn't find any additional fullness in his torso.

"Oh so sorry sir! Cure is only temporary! Cold water will change into girl again! Hot water change back!"

"Is there any cure for this?"

"So sorry sir! Not know cure! No good to try and go into Naniichuan! Spring of Drowned Man! Once cursed by Jusenkyo, waters of other springs no work!"

Ranma's anger came back with a vengeance as he hauled up the battered body of his father. He shook the panda back to a conscious state as he screamed in his face. "You and your stupid ideas! You just had to drag me here, even though you don't know a word of Chinese! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Growf?"

That was all that Genma Saotome could say before he was severely pummeled and then launched into the air by way of an uppercut to the chin.

Ranma huffed as he watched his old man soar up into the stratosphere and then went to retrieve his backpack. He then stomped off while muttering, "To hell with him! I'm outta here!"

The cursed martial artist went off in a random direction, not caring where he was headed, just so long as it was a far away from Jusenkyo and his father. Ironically, he was heading toward a certain Amazon village…

Within the village of the Joketsuzoku, the matriarch known as Cologne was busy adding the final ingredients to a bubbling cauldron. The three hundred-year old Elder cackled as she drew a strange-looking amulet from her robes and held it over the potion. Behind her, the other matriarches watched with apprehension. 

<"Are you certain that you should be doing this?"> Mascara asked.

<"Why not?"> Cologne replied as the smoke coming from the cauldron began to swirl around the amulet. <"It has been almost three hundred years since that treacherous Happosai had stolen our treasures! With this amulet, we shall at last be able to reclaim our lost magical talismans! This will be our only chance though! The planets are in perfect alignment and the amulet will reach full power within minutes after it is exposed to the vapors of the potion! It will then seek out the mystical energies contained within our treasures and bring them to us, wherever they may be! If Happosai is with them, then he shall be brought to us as well and we shall exact our long-awaited revenge! That in itself justifies the use of our last magical item, does it not?"

The Elders slowly nodded as they too had long-standing grudges against the perverted master of the Anything Goes Martial Arts.

  


In another reality, far beyond Ranma's home universe, another event of great importance was taking place. However, to some individuals, this was a recurring theme.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jesse!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"MEOWTH! THAT'S RIGHT!"

Ash Ketcham moaned, along with his traveling companions, Misty and Brock. They should have expected that Team Rocket would show up. After all, the Pokémon convention was displaying the latest in Pokémon-catching technology. Its crowning jewel was the most powerful Pokéball yet created. The Mega-Transporter Pokéball was the ultimate in retrieving lost Pokémon. It contained a new kind of recall device that could bring back any Pokémon from anywhere on Earth, no matter how far away. Lost Pokémon were now a thing of the past with this gadget. Of course, this little marvel was still in the experimental stage and hadn't been field tested yet. That didn't stop Team Rocket from trying to steal it however.

"Wheezing! Sludge Attack!" James yelled as he threw his Pokéball at Ash and his friends. The ball opened up and released the Pokémon, which looked liked a misshapen dumbbell.

"Wheeze!" Wheezing opened its mouths and spat out a huge amount of toxic sludge. Ash swerved to the right to avoid it while throwing out a Pokéball.

"Pigeotto! I choose you!"

The bird Pokémon exploded forth from the Pokéball as Jesse gave his Wheezing another command. "Give them your smog attack!"

"Wheezing!" The pollution Pokémon let loose with a huge cloud of the foul smelling gases.

"Pigeotto! Gust attack!"

Following Ash's command, Pigeotto began flapping its wings furiously, causing a gale wind to blow forth. The winds blew back the smog, right into James' face, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Jesse was giving Misty and Brock some trouble. Right now she was directing her Arbok into spitting out its acid at Starmie and Geodude. Unfortunately for those present, the acid missed its targets and splashed onto the display case where the Mega-Transporter Pokéball was being held in a stasis field. The caustic substance caused the control panel to short out and the magnetic field that was keeping the energies of the device in check disappeared. As a result, the Pokéball began to glow and emit increasing levels of power.

"Look out!" One technician cried out. "The stasis field is down! The Mega-Transporter Pokéball is starting to go critical! Everyone out of the building now!"

The crowds of people began to panic as the energies contained within the device started to lash out. Whatever the energies hit was instantly vaporized. Team Rocket needed no persuasion to vacate the premises as their chance to steal the device was gone. Calling back their Pokémon, they began to hightail it. Of course, Ash just wouldn't let them leave without a going-away present.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!"

The large, electric rodent powered up its energies and let loose with a sizzling blast of electricity. Just as the lightning hit the fleeing villains, another errant blast from the Mega-Transporter Pokéball also zeroed in on them. The combined energies sent Team Rocket shooting off into the stratosphere.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" Meowth, Jesse and James were soon distant dots in the sky.

Ash and his friends were just barely able to evacuate the convention hall with the rest of the crowds. They soon came across a friend of theirs, who was busy talking into a cell phone.

"Is the building clear? I'm about to activate the safety measure!"

"Excuse me Professor Oak, but would you mind telling us just what's going on?"

The scientist looked over his shoulder and said, "Oh thank goodness you three got out of there!"

"We're okay Professor, but what about that?" The ten-year old pointed back toward the building. As of now, the energies were being released at random in a chaotic light show.

"We're just making sure that the entire building is clear before I use the self-destruct!"

"Self-destruct?"

"Yes. You see Ash, the Mega-Transporter Pokéball or MTP, is a miniaturized version of the transporter used by all Pokémon Centers. It's also the same device that connects your Pokédex to my lab! However, the circuits have been deemed as unstable and we had to keep it in a magnetic field until the bugs were worked out. Unfortunately, with the shielding down, the energies are now randomly transporting objects into other dimensions!"

"Other dimensions?"

"Yes, the way the transporter works is that it actually shunts materials into a separate reality called subspace and then travels through it to reappear into this dimension, an equivocal distance from its origin. However, with the stasis field gone, there's nothing to stop the MTP from building up power. You can see for yourself`! It's starting to transport larger objects with each blast!"

Ash and his friends nodded as they saw larger objects disappearing with each random energy bolt.

"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do this, but we'll have to destroy it! Once I'm sure that the building is empty, I'll send a transmission signal to the MTP and order it to turn its power on itself! There will be a massive implosion!" The cell phone beeped once and Professor Oak got the go ahead. Taking out a small device, he pressed the big red button.

The convention center was instantly destroyed as a massive blast of energy shot up like a geyser. A huge rift opened up in the sky above, sucking in the power. The stream of energy went on for a full minute, and then all became calm as the rift suddenly closed up.

Ash, Misty and Brock watched in silence as the hole in the sky disappeared. The crowds who had evacuated the now demolished building also watched in awe. When it was all over, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. There was nothing to worry about now.

  


In Ranma's universe, Cologne had just completed the spell that would activate the amulet and retrieve the lost treasures of the Amazons. The magical artifact glowed with an eerie light. Just as it was about to reach full power, a massive rift opened up in the skies above the village. A trickle of energy, similar to a small bolt of lightning blasted forth from the interdimensional tear and shot down toward the hut of Cologne. The energy tore through the roof and struck the amulet, causing a huge explosion. The Elders were just barely able to take cover as the amulet let loose a huge backlash of power. As most people know, magic doesn't mix very well with science and the energy released by the Mega-Transporter Pokéball corrupted the spell of the amulet. The result was an errant spell gone wrong.

The amulet's purpose was to seek out sources of magic and transport them from a distance. The MTP was designed to lock onto live organisms, specifically Pokémon, and transport them from a distance. The end product was a transport beam that would lock onto a magical, living being. And the nearest individual of that nature was a certain pigtailed martial artist who had just been cursed by Jusenkyo.

Ranma didn't even have time to scream as a bolt of power lashed out from the village and struck him. In an instant, Ranma was gone from his world and sent to another.

Ranma awoke sometime later, his head throbbing. He found himself lying on the ground in a clearing within a deep forest. As he slowly sat up, he began looking around to ascertain his whereabouts. He didn't recognize the woods he was in and saw that he was still in his white gi.

"Man! That was some blast! Where the heck am I?"

Not knowing that he had been transported to another dimension, Ranma assumed that he was still in his universe and thought that he was still in China. Remembering that he was now cursed to turn into a girl with cold water, the young martial artist's expression turned dark.

_Stupid old man! He just had to find that training ground, even though he couldn't speak a word of Chinese! Now I'm half girl because of him! Question is what do I do now?_

"PIIIIKAAAA!!!"

Ranma was startled by the high-pitched sound and turned in its direction. His eyes widened as he saw a strange-looking creature being chased by a flock of birds. When he focused in on the animal, he saw that it was about the size of a small dog and had yellow, rounded body. It had a jagged tail that resembled a lightning bolt and two orange stripes across its back. It had pointed ears and small circular designs on its cheeks.

"Pikachu! Pika!" Screamed the strange little creature as it was set upon by a horde of angry birds. The flock descended on the little one like a flock of vultures and began pecking at it. Upon seeing this, Ranma dropped his backpack and began running toward them, his own problems temporarily forgotten. 

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Ranma picked up a stray branch and began swatting at them. He managed to knock off a few of the birds, but then they began pecking at him.

"Ouch! Why you… Ow! Cut it out! Ow!" Ranma dropped the branch and leaped back to get some more maneuvering room. The strange birds followed him, forgetting their intended victim to deal with their new adversary. Ranma vaulted over to where a low-hanging tree limb was nearby. Making a turn around the tree, he began bending the large branch back. As the birds dived at him, Ranma let the branch fly.

The limb snapped back like a rubber band, knocking the birds for a loop and sent them flying toward the injured creature Ranma had been trying to save. It was then that Ranma saw something that made his jaw drop.

The hurt Pikachu was mad, very mad. When it saw that flock of Spearows heading back toward it, it decided to give them the shock of their lives. Powering up its remaining stores of electrical energy, its cheek pouches crackled with sparks before letting loose with a Thunderbolt attack.

"Pika… CHU!"

The Spearows shrieked as more than 10,000 volts of electricity went through them, Many of them had their feathers charred. The Spearows knew when it was time to retreat and they decided to hightail it out of there.

Ranma's eyes were about the size of dinner plates as he stared at the little electric rodent. The Pikachu let out a whimper as it tried to get to its feet. Unfortunately, the injuries it sustained with the Spearows had left it too weak to get very far and it fell to the ground unconscious.

Ranma ran toward the fallen creature and knelt down to look at it. As he gazed over its plump body, he began wondering. _What the heck is this thing? It kinda looks like a mouse, but I never saw a mouse that could shoot off lightning. And mice don't come this big. Then again, those birds didn't look like any kind I've ever seen either._ Ranma took a good look around and then started to think. _I don't recognize this forest and I don't remember me and Pop going though this place on our way to Jusenkyo. First this… thing, then those strange birds, then that electric attack this mouse did. This is too weird! Although I gotta admit, that was way cool!_

"Pi… ka… chu." The little mouse groaned as it slowly opened its eyes and looked up at its savior. When Ranma bent down toward it, extending out a hand, the little Pokémon began to get edgy. Sparks began to crackle on its cheek pouches as it prepared to shock the stranger. It had become very distrustful of humans ever since its previous trainer had callously abandoned it.

Ranma noticed the sparks and stopped his hand. He had seen just how potent this creature's power was and he didn't want to suffer the same fate as those Spearows. "Hey… take it easy. I'm on your side. I just want to help you…" Ranma slowly extended his hand a little more.

Pikachu wouldn't have any of it. As soon as the human's hand got within eight inches of it, it let fly with a burst of electricity. Ranma howled as a few hundred volts went through his system. The shock flung Ranma back a few feet, slamming him against a nearby tree.

"Ow! Talk about having a short fuse!" Ranma said in anger as he rubbed his head. He then stood up and said in annoyance to the electric rodent. "Boy, are you ungrateful! I went through the trouble to get those birds away from you and try to help and this is how you repay me? Fine then! You're on your own! I got my own problems to worry about!" Ranma then stomped off in a huff to retrieve his backpack.

The little mouse watched the human walk away and its expression matched that of Ranma's. It was glad that he was leaving. It didn't need any human's help. They were nothing but trouble and they only used Pokémon as slaves. Its last trainer was a cruel individual and only cared about winning battles. When Pikachu was pitted against opponents that were far better trained that it was, the human had become dissatisfied with its performance and decided to leave it out in the wilderness to fend for itself. As if in defiance, the injured Pokémon tried to get back up on its feet. 

Ranma had just picked up his backpack when he heard a pathetic whine.

"Pi…"

He looked back and saw that the electric rodent was trying to get to its feet. It strained its tired muscles and attempted to stand. However, its injuries were far too severe and it fell flat on its face. It then let off another pathetic little whine before lapsing back into unconsciousness.

Ranma was sorely tempted to just leave it there and be on his way, but his conscience just wouldn't let him do it. Giving off a sigh, he walked back to the strange creature.

Some time later…

Pikachu awoke and found itself lying on a makeshift bed of sheets and covered in a small blanket. It looked down at its body and noted the injuries it had sustained were expertly bandaged up. Looking around, it saw that it was at a campsite and the human who had helped it was sitting near a campfire.

"Pika?"

Ranma instantly stood up and became rigid. He then slowly looked over his shoulder and saw that his little patient was awake. He didn't say a word as he slowly reached over for something.

Pikachu instantly became alert at the movement. It knew what was going to happen next. The human was going to throw a Pokéball at it. It quickly got to its feet and began charging up its energies. It was a tremendous strain and its body still throbbed with pain, but Pikachu was determined not to be captured again.

Ranma stiffened at the sight of the sparks which appeared at the rodent's cheeks. He gave a slow swallow as he brought out his hand for it to see what he had.

"Pika?"

The hand was not holding a Pokéball, but was instead holding a small plate that had some berries and nuts that Ranma had foraged. The human did not say a word as he carefully and very slowly, nudged the plate toward the Pokémon. When he got to within a foot of the prone Pikachu, he backed off and waited.

Pikachu was still wary as it inched toward the offered food. When it got to within an inch of the plate, it carefully sniffed at the berries and nuts. It then looked up at the human, who smiled at it.

"Go ahead. I'm sure you're pretty hungry."

Pikachu looked down at the plate, then back up at the human, then down at the plate again. Its belly let off a small rumble, which confirmed Ranma's assessment that it should eat. With a final look at the stranger, the little electric rodent began devouring the berries and nuts. 

Ranma breathed out a sigh of relief as he became a little more at ease. It looked like he wouldn't get a repeat demonstration of Pikachu's ability. He then went about fixing his own preparations for the night. After tending to Pikachu's wounds, Ranma had explored the forest and eventually came to the conclusion that wherever he was, this wasn't China. Although it resembled the wilderness that his long training journey had made him accustomed to, the fantastic animal life he had witnessed were definitely not native to Asia, or for Earth for that matter. He had seen something that resembled a giant Panda but didn't seem to do anything but sleep. He had also seen birds that resembled the ones that he had fought but they were a bit more gentler and a few of them actually transformed into larger forms. He had witnessed giant caterpillars and butterflies with wingspans that were three feet across. He had a run in with huge wasplike creatures and fish that looked like a cross between a catfish and a carp. 

_This is all too weird! First I get a curse from Jusenkyo, now this. What the heck is this place?_ Ranma was still contemplating his location when heard a familiar noise.

"Pikachu."

Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Pikachu had finished with its dinner and was returning to its bed for some rest. That suited Ranma just fine as he too settled down for the night. He could figure all this out in the morning. Crawling into his sleeping bag underneath the crude lean-to he had made, he gradually fell into a deep slumber after looking at the stars for a while.

Bright and early the next morning, Ranma awoke to the sounds of the strange bird life. As he sat up, he looked over to where Pikachu had been sleeping. Finding nothing but empty sheets, Ranma sighed as he got up to stretch. He hadn't been expecting the little rodent to be there, considering how hostile it was to him. He was a little disappointed that the critter hadn't even bothered to wait for him to awaken. Shrugging his shoulders, Ranma began packing up his camping gear. After stowing everything back into his pack, he went to a nearby stream to wash up.

Bending down at the river's edge, he splashed his face with water. He then shivered a bit when the cold water hit his skin. Then he felt an odd tingle over his body. It was then that Ranma looked at the reflection in the river. Staring back at him was the sight of a red-haired and very shapely girl.

"Aw crud! I forgot!" Ranma-chan swore. The newness of the curse still unnerved her. What was once a handsome and well-formed boy, knelt a very attractive and thoroughly ticked off girl. Ranma-chan had been hoping that the trip to Jusenkyo, the strange lights and the weird animals had all been a terrible nightmare, but no such luck. Ranma-chan pounded the ground in frustration.

"Pika?"

Ranma-chan's head snapped up at the sound, then turned around to face what was behind her. She caught sight of the familiar little electric mouse that she had cared for the night before.

Pikachu was more than stunned at what was staring at it. During the night, it had awoken and had gone through the stranger's belongings, just in case Ranma had a Pokéball or any other equipment that trainers usually carried. Finding none, it had assumed that its savior was not a trainer and was at least assured that he would not try to capture it. When it had awoken that morning, it had waited in some nearby bushes and had been following Ranma in secret. When it witnessed Ranma's form suddenly change, it was stunned beyond belief. So far, Pikachu only knew that only Pokémon can evolve into other forms very quickly. It had seen a Bulbasaur evolve into an Ivysaur. Its former master's Charmeleon had become a Charlizard. It had even observed a fellow Pikachu transform into a Raichu with the aid of a Thunderstone. It didn't know that humans could evolve as well. Grow in size, yes, but change shape so radically?

Then again, this may not be a human. It had heard of human-like Pokémon like Mr. Mime and Jynx. On the other hand… it had never heard of a Pokémon that was capable of human speech, but there were rumors of a talking Meowth that was running around. 

It was just so confusing to Pikachu. However, before it would leave this place and this stranger forever, it had to know for sure. It began to slowly approach Ranma-chan, keeping on its guard. Its cheek pouches sparked occasionally, giving the human enough warning not to try anything, lest she wanted to be on the receiving end of a massive Thundershock attack.

Ranma-chan said not a word as she silently allowed the rodent to approach her. Her martial arts training may let her to defend herself against normal opponents, but this creature was anything but normal. She had no intention of being shocked again and one of the first rules of wilderness survival was to not make any sudden moves that might frighten or startle a potentially dangerous animal. The cute and seemingly harmless-looking critter was quite capable of electrocuting Ranma-chan.

When Pikachu came to within a foot or so of the sitting Ranma-chan, it leaned forward and took a tentative sniff. No doubt about it. Ranma-chan was human. However, the scent was more feminine than masculine. It didn't know what to make of it. It had also caught a whiff of something else. The stranger seemed to be emanating some kind of power that was similar to the energies that psychic and fighting-type Pokémon emitted. 

Ranma-chan was very nervous at being so close to this animal. When it had been unconscious during the time she had tended to its wounds, she had been on edge that Pikachu would shock her at any moment. Now the thing was wide awake and sniffing at her. Remembering the meditation techniques of her training, she had been using controlled breathing methods to calm herself down and waited. Her body was tense and ready to spring away in an instant. Then it happened.

Pikachu was confused. The human smelled female, but it had been positive that Ranma-chan had been a boy when they first met. The person sitting before it looked like the same individual except for the change in hair color, the reduction in height and the outward additional curves to his… her body. Well, there was one way to know for sure. Before Ranma-chan could react, Pikachu leapt into her lap and nuzzled its body against her softness. 

Ranma-chan almost leapt out in panic as the thing rubbed against her. She braced herself for the massive blast of electricity. When it didn't come, she looked down at a pair of puzzled, beady black eyes.

"Pika?"

Ranma-chan just stared at the critter.

"Pika? Pi?"

Ranma-chan just shook her head in non-comprehension.

Pikachu stood up in her lap and placed its paws on Ranma-chan's chest. It then gave her breasts a few taps and repeated its question. "Pika? Pi?"

Ranma-chan's cheeks reddened as she finally realized what the little rodent was trying to ask her. "Oh… them. I… don't really know how to explain it but… I'm under a curse."

"Chu?"

Ranma-chan looked intently at the electric mouse and wondered about it. _Call me crazy, but I think this thing can understand me._

"Pikachu! Pika!" The little animal pounded against her chest, insisting on some answers.

Ranma-chan looked in wonder at the Pokémon, then decided 'what the heck.' She then began telling Pikachu her life's story.

Sometime later, Ranma, back in his male form again, was making his way down a forest path. Behind him, the little Pikachu trotted along.

"You don't have to follow me, you know. You're free to go to wherever ya want."

Pikachu looked up at Ranma but said nothing. After learning about Ranma's curse and having it demonstrated in front of it, the Pokémon had become even more intrigued by the stranger. Furthermore, Ranma had saved its life and seemed a little different than all the other humans it had encountered. Okay, make that a lot different. How many other humans could actually change his or her gender with water? In any case, he seemed nice enough, so perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to tag along with him for a while.

To be continued…

Author's Notes

Well, this is yet another one of my ideas that I had never thought about until now. This was written on a dare with a friend. Where could I go with this? 

Well, I guess a run-in with Ash and his friends would be inevitable. I can just imagine Brock going ga-ga over Ranma's cursed form. Misty would probably be jealous over Ranma's better figure. As for Ash, well he just might see Ranma as a kind of big brother or rival.

Ranma becoming a Pokémon trainer? Well, it could happen. I've been having ideas of him sparring with all types of fighting Pokémon and even learning how to do their attacks by way of manipulating ki. Can you imagine Ranma doing a Thundershock or Flame-thrower? Also, I've been having some other plans for Ranma's Pokémon to be able to mimic Ranma's martial arts. As for Ranma's curse, I have been thinking of what would happen if he encountered a Water Stone. Would it help with his Jusenkyo form or hurt it? 

In any case, this is yet another one of the unfinished or discontinued stories that I had left to its own devices. With the right amount of comments and suggestions, I could just very well turn it into an ongoing series. 


	2. Chapter 2: I Choose You, Raiden!

**Fist of the Pikachu!**

_Italic:_ Thoughts  


**

Chapter 2

**

I Choose You, Raiden!

It was a dark and humid night as Ranma and his newfound friend had just started to set up camp for the night. It was just after a heavy rainstorm and Ranma-chan cursed her luck as she saw that the rain had totally soaked her backpack and everything in it, including her matches.

"Aw crud!" Ranma-chan threw her wet matches away in disgust. She had just managed to gather some kindling that was dry enough, but had no way of lighting the fire. With her matches ruined and no flint stones in sight, she assumed that she was going to have to spend the night in the cold. She sat down in a dejected manner. "Perfect! Just perfect! What else can go wrong?"

The Pikachu gazed at Ranma-chan. It had been more than a week since it had encountered the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist. No matter how many times it saw the transformation, it was still fascinated by the human's ability to 'evolve and de-evolve' with just a change of water temperature. The little electric rodent noted that the human shivered as a cold breeze blew past her. It then approached its strange companion.

Ranma-chan looked up and gave the mouse a slight smile while studying its fur. "Boy. You're really lucky to have that fur coat. Man! What I wouldn't give for something to keep me warm tonight."

As if in response to Ranma-chan's request, Pikachu began charging up its cheek pouches. Tiny sparks were emitted from them, which caught the attention of Genma's cursed son. For a moment, Ranma-chan thought she was about to get shocked again, but then the electric mouse turned its attention to the prepared campfire and let loose with a small electric bolt.

"Pika… chu!"

The kindling was lit, which soon got the campfire going. Ranma-chan looked in amazement to the appearance of the flames, then looked back at Pikachu. This was not what she had expected. The last ten days or so had been somewhat uncomfortable for her. The little rodent had been following her around as she traveled through the thick, dense forest. Despite repeated requests that it should leave her alone, the electric Pokémon kept hanging around with her. After about three days, Ranma-chan accepted the fact that the little critter wasn't going to go away and tolerated its presence. Of course, she tried very hard to ignore it, but the cute mouse continued to stay with her. Eventually, the martial artist had gotten used to having Pikachu around and even started to share whatever food she managed to forage. However, she was still very careful not to give it any reason to startle it or get it angry. A couple of days ago, Ranma-chan had become very surprised when she had awoken and found that Pikachu had slipped into her sleeping bag. The sudden scream she let off had resulted in a nasty shock as the electric rodent had let off a few hundred volts in surprise. Ranma-chan had become more careful around it since then.

Its sudden act of kindness just now got the red-haired girl to thinking that perhaps she had finally gotten a friend in this strange world. _I guess it's true with what they say. Feed a stray dog for more than three days and they kind of get attached to you. I guess that applies with big, electric rats too. Then again, I don't mind the company._ Memories of the long and lonely training trip with her father came back to her. Dim, yet very happy recollections of the little boy with whom she befriended when she was six made a smile appear on her face. She could still remember her old buddy Ucchan. Giving the little rodent a small smile, Ranma-chan said quietly as she held up her hands to the fire. "T-Thank you."

The Pikachu nodded. "Pika." It then trotted towards Ranma-chan's feet and sat down.

"You know… that's a handy little trick you got there. Sure wish I could do something like that."

"Pikachu."

"Is that all you can say?"

"Pi. Pika, pika. Pika… chu."

Ranma-chan shook her head and shrugged. "Well anyway, it's not like I can understand you, even though you can understand me. It's been ten days and I still don't have the slightest idea what you are, much less where I am!"

"Pikachu."

"Huh?"

The electric Pokémon gestured to itself. "Pika… chu!"

Ranma-chan stared for a moment. "Pika… chu?"

Pikachu smiled and then said. "Pikachu! Pikachu!"

"Pikachu." Ranma-chan repeated. "So… that's what you are? You're a Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" It said happily as it nuzzled against Ranma-chan's legs.

"Okay…" The pigtailed martial artist said slowly as she reached out slowly with a hand. When Pikachu showed no signs of negative reaction to her hand, she began stroking its ears. Pikachu sighed happily as it nuzzled itself closer to her. "So you're called a Pikachu. All right, at least that's one mystery solved."

Ranma-chan continued to stroke Pikachu and nothing was said for a long time. When she finally looked down, she noted that the Pokémon had fallen asleep. Gently taking the electric rodent in her arms, she set about making her own preparations for the night. When her sleeping bag had been sufficiently dried out, she crawled into it. This time however, she took Pikachu with her.

_I never had a pet before. I think I like it._

The next morning…

Pikachu awoke to the sound of something that was pounding on wood. When it arose from the sleeping bag, it noted that Ranma was gone. Looking around, it saw him in a nearby clearing, in his male form, and was steadily hitting his feet and fists against a wooden post that had the top wrapped up in some cloth bindings. It decided to investigate.

Ranma had decided to resume his training in the martial arts as he wanted to keep in shape. He found that the exertion also helped relieve some of the stress he had built up over the last few days. The fact that he was lost on some Earth-like world that had strange creatures roaming about didn't alter the fact that he needed to maintain his martial levels. The katas aided him in maintaining his focus as he quietly tried to plan what to do next. His Anything Goes Martial Arts was all that he had besides what was in his backpack. It wasn't much but at least it helped him forget about his problems for a while.

Pikachu watched with fascination as the human went through his motions. After a minute, Ranma hit the top of the post and caused it to snap off without any significant effort. He then began a series of movements that were incredibly graceful as he went through intricate patterns, throwing out punches and kicks at unseen enemies. He started to make leaps into the air, using the surrounding trees as springboards. Pikachu was in awe as Ranma leapt up to heights of thirty feet or so, defying gravity for a few seconds as he turned, twisted and somersaulted. Every now and then, he would lash out with a leg or fist, as if he were fighting an invisible foe in the air. The Pokémon's black, beady eyes followed its companion as he moved about at a fast pace. Finally, after half an hour, Ranma landed on the ground and took a ready stance in front of a large boulder. Pikachu's eyes widened as it saw a faint blue aura begin to form around Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist focused his inner energies for a long moment, then struck.

"KIIIIIIIYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Ranma lashed out with a straight kick and his foot slammed into the rock. His foot rested on the surface of the granite for an instant before pulling his foot back. At first it seemed as if the rock had not been damaged, but then the front of it began to show cracks at the point where Ranma's kick had impacted with it. Another moment later, the entire face of the rock crumbled into fragments.

Ranma smiled at his handiwork. He had used the principle of the Stonebreaker Fist that he had learned at the age of twelve, and had now revised it into a kicking version.

"Chu!"

The boy then looked over to where the electric mouse was and smiled. He had already been aware of its presence. "So did you enjoy the show?"

"Pikachu!" The Pokémon nodded as it approached Ranma. It would have liked to be able to leap to such heights and be able to shatter stone. Such a technique could be very useful if it went up against rock-type Pokémon. It pointed to the crumbled fragments of Ranma's target.

Ranma nodded as he understood what the little Pokémon was asking him. "That was a kicking version of the Stonebreaker Fist."

"Pika?"

"Yeah, I focused my ki into my leg and used it to take the brunt of the blow."

"Pi?"

"Yeah, my ki. Look at this."

Ranma took a stance, closed his eyes and began breathing steadily, using meditation techniques that had been taught to him to gain his mental and spiritual balance. The faint blue aura formed around him again and Pikachu became fascinated by it. He then opened his eyes and said, "This my battle aura. The energy you see is my ki. This is the energy that I used to break that rock and it also helps me jump higher."

"Pika…" Pikachu was more than amazed that such a power existed.

Ranma continued with his explanation. "It took me a while to control some of it, though Pop said that I learned it a lot faster than he ever did. I guess martial arts comes naturally to me." He then looked down and saw his new friend copy his stance and try to attempt to raise up its own battle aura. He smiled as he watched the Pokémon strain to pull forth its ki. "It's a lot harder than it looks Pikachu. It took me weeks to do this and I doubt you could…?"

Ranma's words died out as he saw the electric mouse begin to glow with a thin, blue aura. The aura began to become more intense as Pikachu increased its concentration. Ranma also noticed that its cheek pouches were sparking and releasing minute flashes of electricity.

_Whoa! No way! He's actually doing it! How's he doing that? It took me more than two weeks to be able to… huh?_ At this point, Ranma saw that his little friend was now surrounded by an intense blue light and its electric generators were giving off larger sparks. The cheek pouches were a fiery red and resembled glowing coals. Pikachu started to give off little whimpers as its body began to tremble and shake. It had never felt this way before. It desperately tried to calm down, but the energies within it would not subside. The power continued to build up until it was too enormous for Pikachu to hold it in any more. Finally, it let out a scream as it reached its peak and spread its arms out. 

"Pika… CHU!!!"

The was a huge surge of power and all the pent-up ki energy blasted outward in all directions. Ranma was thrown backward and landed on his back twenty feet away. He was temporarily blinded from the sudden burst of brightness and all he could see at the moment were flashes of blue light. He lay on his back for a minute or so as Pikachu collapsed from the exertion. When Ranma finally could see again, he slowly got up to a sitting position and looked to where Pikachu was sprawled out on the ground. His eyes widened as he saw his Pokémon in the middle of a fifteen-foot crater. The lightning rodent was unconscious and was prone in the center of the depression.

Some time later, Ranma was tending to his little friend as it slept quietly on a small sheet that he had laid out for it. Pikachu was none worse for wear and it was only exhausted from its ordeal. As he watched the electric mouse in its slumber, he began thinking back to what had happened earlier.

_How did Pikachu do that? He just couldn't believe that it had just performed a ki blast._ Ranma had heard of things like that but had never been able to accomplish it. Then all of a sudden, this little electric rodent had done it on the first try, without any prior martial arts training. Reaching over to his backpack, Ranma pulled out several of his old training manuals and began reading about the information concerning ki. _Hmmm, let's see. Ki is the inner energies of all living things. By attaining focus of the mind and spirit, one can utilize it to strengthen the body and enhance one's own physical potential._ Ranma looked up and thought about it. Thinking back to the Stonebreaker Fist and how he could leap to heights of about thirty feet, he nodded in understanding. 

_But that doesn't explain how Pikachu was able to fire it off. That ki energy that I got hit with! It definitely wasn't one of its usual electric shocks! Just how did it… wait a second!_ Ranma then thought back to when the Pokémon was gathering its battle aura. He had noticed that its cheek pouches had been sparking. At first Ranma though he was going to get shocked again, but then remembered how Pikachu had strained to keep the energy within it. When that energy was released, it didn't come from its cheek pouches, but instead had blasted forth from it body. It was at that point that Ranma used the one thing he seldom used during his training journey: his mind.

_Hold on a minute. Could that be it?_ Ranma recalled how its cheek pouches were the brightest of all when all that ki was released. _Hmmm. Ki is the inner energies of all living things. If that's the case, then maybe…_ Looking back at the electric rodent, he came to a conclusion. _So that's it! It's got to be it! Pikachu already had better control over ki than me, because it naturally uses its ki to create that electricity! Those cheek pouches must be some kind of converters that change the ki into electricity. Just like a pair of electric transformers!_

Ranma reached out and stroked Pikachu's back, which caused the electric rodent to sigh in contentment. _If Pikachu can fire off a ki blast, then I should be able to do it as well! And if I could fire off a ki blast, then maybe… it might be possible for me to fire off electricity as well. Pikachu just showed me that ki can be changed into another kind of energy. Heh. I told Pikachu that I'd love to be able to do what he does! Thanks Pikachu! I just learned a lot more from you than I ever did from my Pop!_

It was then that Pikachu had begun to stir. Opening its eyes, it smiled up at the human. "Pikachu."

Ranma smiled down at the little Pokémon and picked up into his arms. "How are you feeling Pikachu?"

"Pika." It leaned forward and gave Ranma an affectionate lick on his chin.

Ranma smiled as he began thinking of his new training regime. The thought of learning a new skill made him totally forget that he was in a strange land. If there was one thing that Ranma was always eager to drop everything for, it was learning a new technique.

A few days later, Ranma was once again practicing in the clearing. This time however, Pikachu was with him, copying its new trainer's moves as he performed a series of simple katas.

"No Pikachu. Like this." Ranma thrust out his hand in a palm strike.

Pikachu nodded as it thrust out a paw.

Ranma nodded as he continued to practice with Pikachu. It seemed that sparring against an opponent that was smaller and faster than he was proved to be a good challenge. Pikachu would leap about and Ranma would try his best to catch his friend. As they fought, Pikachu became better at copying its trainer's moves while Ranma improved with his speed and coordination. Trying to hit such a small target made him think a bit more and plan his strategy against a shorter opponent. 

Ranma noted that the Pokémon was also a fast leaner. In just a few short days, Pikachu had mastered many of the basic and more advanced moves of the Anything Goes style of aerial combat. To compensate for its shorter reach and lesser strength, the electric mouse decided to improve its agility and maneuverability. As a result, it became faster and far more agile than a normal Pikachu would have been. It also started to get the hang of using its ki to enhance its physical movements. Its not every day that one could see a Pikachu making twenty-foot high jumps!

  


A few more days later…

Ranma and his Pokémon were standing in their stances, meditating and gathering up their ki. Pikachu had learned from its earlier mistake and was now gathering its energies at a much slower rate. Ranma on the other hand was practicing at gathering his ki at a much faster rate and In greater quantities. By carefully watching his friend, he was able to discern how to amass the ki and focus it more tightly.

Yet more days pass…

Ranma had discovered that he needed a focal point in order to focus his ki. Pikachu already had his cheek pouches to help it gain its focus, but Ranma needed something else. He began trying different stances and positions. Finally, after much trial and error, he discovered that by cupping his hands and bringing them up in front of him, he could condense his ki and begin to mold it into a round shape.

A few days after that… 

Ranma was close… so close, that he could almost see himself letting the ki in his hands shoot off and strike the tree that he was aiming at. Beside him, Pikachu was focusing its own ki and was aiming at the same tree. However, the ki would not leave Ranma's hands and Pikachu's energy kept on building and threatened to explode like before.

Ranma desperately held onto his ki. What was he doing wrong? What was missing from the equation? He could now focus his ki and shape it with relatively no effort, but he couldn't fire it off. If he didn't do something quick, the ki would blow up in his hands.

_Damn! I gotten this far! I can't give up now! Come on Ranma! You can do this! You can DO this!_

With a final burst of supreme effort, Ranma pulled back his hands and then threw them forward. "I CAN DO IT!!!"

Suddenly, the blue sphere of ki rocketed forth from his palms and struck the tree. The trunk was reduced to splinters as the orb impacted heavily onto it. Though the ki energy was no bigger than a basketball, the devastation it caused was enormous! The tree was totally obliterated and the fireball kept on going. It then struck into another grove of trees and exploded with a rather large detonation. Ranma was thrown off his feet from the recoil of releasing so much energy at once. 

At the same time that Ranma released his ki, Pikachu also let loose with its own. Seeing its trainer cup his palms and hold them out in front of him, it decided to follow suit. Holding up its own paws, it began focusing its accumulated energies. When it felt like it was about to explode, it let loose a fierce cry of determination.

"Pika… CHU!!!!"

Pikachu's ki blast was smaller than Ranma's but still packed quite a wallop. It shot forward, missing the tree but instead hit a large boulder. The rock face was cracked along the spot where the ball of energy hit it. Large shards of rock were blown off and the entire rock shuddered. After releasing so much energy at once, Pikachu collapsed near its trainer. 

Ranma was still a bit dazed and his body felt as if he had gone twenty nonstop rounds with his old man. His body was utterly exhausted but he had a grin on his face that went from ear to ear. "We… did it Pikachu!"

A month after that experience…

Ranma and Pikachu trained hard as they practiced to hone their newfound ki abilities. Ranma eventually learned that his ki could be projected through his emotions. After realizing that his determination and confidence was his strongest emotions, ki blasts became much easier to accomplish. Pikachu discovered that as it increased its control over its ki, its electric attacks had become much stronger. After a solid month, Pikachu had enough power to almost match its evolved form, the Raichu. Thunderstones no longer held any meaning to Ranma's friend.

Ranma on the other hand, was determined to not only master his ki ability, but also to try and copy his Pokémon's electric attacks. He knew that Pikachu's electric abilities were based on ki manipulation. He just had to find out how to do it. After endless hours of trial and error, as well as constantly watching Pikachu in action, he finally discovered a way to accomplish it. In actuality, it was totally by accident.

Ranma had been gathering firewood when he had accidentally disturbed a flock of Spearows. The angry birds had chased him around and his Pikachu had to come to his rescue. A massive Thundershock attack drove the birds away, but unfortunately, Ranma was caught in the blast.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!!"

Pikachu rushed toward Ranma's smoking body. It hadn't meant to shock its trainer, but it had momentarily forgotten that its electric attacks were far stronger than usual and it had yet to control its newfound power.

"Pika? Pi?" Pikachu leaned over its trainer and checked for any sign that he was still alive.

Ranma moaned as he looked at his friend. Seeing the hurt in its eyes, he gave the Pikachu a weak smile and said, "I'm… okay Pikachu. Just… a little medium-rare." He slowly raised a hand to pet his Pokémon, but then noticed that his fingers were giving off small sparks. He gazed at them, then thought back to how it felt when Pikachu had inadvertently shocked him. He then realized what had to be done if he wanted to learn the technique.

Over the next few days, he instructed Pikachu to give him a few light shocks as he built up his ki. The sessions were at first painful, but eventually they grew to become no more irritating as compared to one scuffing one's feet in socks along a wool carpet. As Ranma was charged with electricity, he got a feel for what the energy was like. Then one day, it happened.

Ranma was again focusing hi ki at a tree after receiving a few light electric shocks from Pikachu. He then began reaching into his inner being and began to picture the ball in his mind become electricity. He could see in his head a ball of lightning instead of a ball of ki energy. On the side, Pikachu watched its trainer as he increased his concentration. Then its eyes widened as Ranma's ki energy began to change in color and begin to glow brighter.

"Pika." It said in awe.

Ranma's eyes also widened when he opened them. The energy in his palms was now crackling and sparking. Ranma smiled as he added more ki to the mass. The electrical power contained in the sphere grew in size and potency. As Ranma got the hang of converting the ki into electricity, he smiled. He then threw his hands upward and released the lightning.

"SHOCK ATTACK!"

The mass of electricity leapt out and elongated into a bolt of lightning. Ranma braced himself as more than 5000 volts erupted from his hands. He gave a smirk as he saw the lightning shoot up and disappeared into the sky. _This is probably the first time that lightning ever went up instead of down!_ He looked down at the still awestruck Pikachu and said, "Thanks pal. I don't what I would have done without you."

Pikachu smiled as it raised a paw and gave him a victory sign. "Pika!"

Ranma smiled down at the little rodent as he bent down to pick it up. "We've both learned a lot in the last two months, haven't we Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded happily as it snuggled against Ranma's chest. "Chu!"

Ranma continued to hold his friend, the only thing that kept him from going insane when he arrived on this strange world. He then thought of something. "You know what Pikachu? You should have a name."

"Pika pi?" The electric mouse looked up at its trainer. Ranma nodded as he held up his Pokémon, then considered what to call him. Then an inspiration hit him. "Hey… what do you think about the name… Raiden?"

"Pika?"

"It's the name of a Chinese Thunder God. I heard that name when me and Pop were in China. He was supposed to be a great warrior and could shoot lightning. I think that name suits you, don't you?"

The little Pikachu considered the name then smiled as it liked the idea of being named after a deity. "Pika!"

"Okay, from now on, your name is Raiden!"

Eventually, Ranma was able to create his own electric attack without Raiden's help.

  
Another week would pass when Ranma and Raiden finally emerged from the wilderness and found themselves near the outskirts of a small town. It was time that Ranma started exploring this new world and perhaps find a way back to his own Ranma paused as he considered his options. By now, it was apparent to him that this was not Earth, at least not the Earth that he knew of. He was glad to see other humans though as cars and people passed by him on the road. They also didn't seem to pay Raiden any notice, so Ranma assumed that the strange creatures of this world were commonplace. He was a bit unsure about this Earthlike place but aside from the strange creatures he had encountered, it really wasn't all that different. It seemed to be like the Earth he had come from, but with one major difference. Just about all the signs he had encountered always had the word 'Pokémon' on them. Passerbys would often say that word and Ranma would wonder just what it meant. He didn't know that Raiden was a Pokémon.

He also found it very strange that he was able to read and speak this strange world's language. It sounded like that gaijin language, English. After giving it some thought, Ranma shrugged and continued on, deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

As Ranma and Raiden approached the small town, he wondered just what to do now. When his stomach rumbled, he then decided to get something to eat. Then he realized something. He wasn't in the forest anymore. He couldn't just forage for food. He was in a town and he didn't have any money. If one wanted to eat, then one would need money. And that meant… a job. 

Ranma winced at the thought but there was no other option. Ranma was on a strange world with nothing except his backpack. He had not a single yen on him and had no skills save for his martial arts. His good-for-nothing father had never trained him in any other useful skills save for fighting and Ranma could see that this small and peaceful-looking place wouldn't be interested in a wandering martial artist and his pet Pikachu. And after spending a month and a half in the forest, Ranma had started to look like a vagrant. He also remembered that he couldn't do what his father always did when they were on that training journey. He recalled how angry shopkeepers and restaurant owners had been whenever Genma had stolen supplies and food for them to survive on. Ranma had always felt guilty about taking things when he was old enough to distinguish right from wrong. After remembering what he had done when he was younger, he winced at his naiveté. Since he had realized that what he had thought was game was actually theft, he made it a point not to follow with that kind of training anymore. This had angered his father, but that didn't stop Genma from continuing to steal for the Art or torture his son for the sake of training. At the thought of torture, Ranma shivered at the memory of the Cat Fist. 

It was then that Ranma noticed a small sign that was asking for help. Ranma read the sign out loud. "Help wanted for a assistant. No experience necessary. Apply in person to Professor Oak."

Ranma looked down at Raiden and shrugged. It was as good a place as any. After asking a passerby on how to get to the address listed on the sign, Ranma and Raiden headed toward the lab of Pallet Town's Pokémon expert.

To be continued… 

Author's Notes

Now who better to explain Pokémon to Ranma than Professor Oak? Ranma would probably not like the idea of having Raiden fight his battles for him or stuffing it or any other Pokémon into Pokéballs. He would probably see it as slavery, but it's still possible that he can become a Pokémon trainer. You've got to admit, he's got a talent for the position if he's able to train Raiden.

Ranma's Pikachu has been a big help to him in his training and is probably his best friend in this world. Ranma will come to depend heavily on the little mouse as they help each other. As for the other characters in this crossover, Ranma will eventually meet up with them and Raiden may even become more pursued by Team Rocket than Ash's Pikachu. Give me some more comments and support if you have any ideas on where this could go, should I decided to continue it. 


	3. Chapter 3: Ranma the Pokémon Trainer

**Fist of the Pikachu!**

_Italic:_ Thoughts

**Chapter 3**

Ranma the Pokémon Trainer

  


Ranma and Raiden traveled on a small road that was winding toward a compound near a hill. The little Pikachu was perched on the top of Ranma's backpack and was enjoying the sights. Ranma didn't know what to expect when he got there, but this was as good a place as any to start looking for a job and make some money. As he approached the compound, a group of small kids came up to him.

"Hey mister! Are you a Pokémon trainer?" A little boy asked.

Ranma looked down at the urchin and replied, "Uhhhh, a Pokémon trainer?"

"Yeah, you got a Pikachu with you, just like Ash Ketchum!" He pointed to Raiden.

Ranma glanced back at Raiden then shrugged. "If you're asking if I'm teaching Raiden, then yes. I guess you could call me a… Pokémon trainer." _Whatever that means._

"That's so neat!" A little girl said. "I wanna be a Pokémon master when I grow up!"

"Hey, are you going to see Professor Oak?" Another little boy asked.

Ranma nodded as he said, "Yes. I'm here to see him."

"Cool! You get to see all those neat Pokémon!"

"Well… I guess I do." _What the heck is a Pokémon?_

"Hey can you show us some of your Pokémon's attacks?" The first boy asked.

"Huh?" Ranma was starting to become very nervous at the children and their questions about a subject that he had absolutely no clue as to what they were saying. He then said, "Sorry kids, but I've got to go." Ranma turned around and ran the toward Professor Oak's compound.

The children were disappointed, but eventually left the area.

Ranma arrived at the front door to Professor Oak's lab and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

In a small wooded area near the Pokémon areas where the Oak let the creatures wander free for a while, a trio of bumblers were getting chewed out by their boss as they were receiving the orders for their next caper via portable transmitter.

"You three have got to be the worst members of Team Rocket! I sent you out to steal the Mega-Transporter Pokéball and you bungled it! Then I set you out to get the plans and you end up torching the labs! I don't know why I put up with you three!"

"Please sir!" Jessie pleaded. "We almost had those plans! If we hadn't run into that little twerp and his friends…"

"I want none of your excuses!" Giovanni stroked his Persian's head as he glared at Jessie, James and Meowth. "This will be your last chance! Screw this up and I'll have you demoted to janitorial duties for a year and I'm going give you all another pay cut! This time, it will be at fifty percent!"

"You mean… ?"

"That's right! You're going to become Team Rocket's toilet jockeys if you don't get those plans!"

"Don't worry sir, we promise that we'll get those plans this time!" James said quickly, his brow was covered in sweat. Meowth and Jessie were equally as agitated.

Giovanni nodded as he gave out his instructions. "Now listen up. The only other copy to the MTP's blueprints are in the laboratory of Professor Oak in Pallet Town. Just go there, steal those plans and bring them back to headquarters. Understand?"

"Yes sir!" All three members said in unison.

Their boss gave the a final glare before the transmitter's screen went blank.

Meanwhile, Ranma was led into a small office by Ash Ketchum's mentor and friend, Professor Oak. The kindly scientist gestured to a seat and then sat down at his own desk.

"Well now young man, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here to apply for that job that you had advertised. Oh by the way, my name's Ranma Saotome." Ranma responded.

"Pikachu." Raiden nodded as it made itself comfortable on Ranma's lap.

"Pleased to meet you Ranma. I'm Professor Oak. I'm the Pokémon expert of Pallet." Professor Oak nodded. "I am in need for an assistant around here. Not so much for my research, but I'm afraid that the trainers that transport their Pokémon here are sending more and more of them every day. My own grandson Gary has already transported more than a dozen since last week. It's getting to be quite overwhelming to care for all these Pokémon and I could use a few extra helping hands."

"Oh… I see." Ranma nodded as he tried to make it look like he understood. _There's that word again. Just what the heck is a Pokémon?_

The scientist continued. "Although I did say that no experience is necessary, it would help if the applicant knew something about caring and raising Pokémon." He then gestured to Raiden. "Is that Pikachu yours?" 

Ranma nodded. "Yes. This is Raiden. He and I have been together for about two months now."

"I see. Are you are a Pokémon trainer?"

Ranma became a bit edgy as his knowledge of Pokémon was all but nonexistent, save for his experiences with his Pikachu. "Well… I wouldn't exactly call myself a… Pokémon trainer. I have been training Raiden on how to fight though."

"Ah… so what is your Pikachu capable of? What are his attacks?"

Ranma became even more nervous as he replied, "Well…he can throw some lightning bolts and… he's pretty fast and agile to boot… and…" Ranma's voice trailed off as he really didn't know the names of his Pokémon's attacks.

Professor Oak nodded as his suspicions were confirmed. He had been expecting answers such as 'Thundershock' or 'Thunderbolt.' If this person didn't know that then it was obvious that his knowledge of Pokémon in general was very shallow. He then began to suspect that this young man didn't even know what a Pokémon is, much less know that his Pikachu was a Pokémon.

"Ranma, how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen sir."

"You're sixteen-years old and you don't know what a Pokémon is, now do you?"

Ranma flinched at Professor Oak's words, then sighed. He had been found out. There was no way that he could fake his way through this, so he took up Raiden in his arms and stood up. "I'm sorry for bothering you Professor Oak. I guess you need someone who at least knows what a Pokémon is, if he's to help you to take care of them. Thanks for your time and…"

**BOOM!!!**

The explosion caught their attention as Professor Oak turned to see what was going on.

"That came from the main lab!" He paused for moment, then realized something else. "Oh no! The safe! The MTP blueprints!" The scientist scrambled out of his seat and headed for the room where the safe was. Ranma set his Pikachu down and followed him. Raiden scampered after his trainer.

When the three of them had gotten to the main lab, they stood in amazement at the sight of the smoke and devastation of the lab.

"I told you not to use the acid!" Meowth screamed as he struggled to pull himself out of a pile of rubble. The lab was in a shambles and the safe was melted half away. Unfortunately, the contents of the safe had been reduced to unrecognizable scraps.

"Chabok!" The gigantic serpent Pokémon winced a bit and was a bit ashamed. Jessie had ordered it to use its acid to melt away the steel door to the safe. However, the acid had splashed into a cabinet that contained some flammable chemicals. The resulting explosion had destroyed half the lab and to make matters worse, the acid had worked too well. More than half the safe had been dissolved and the last copy of the plans for the Mega-Transporter Pokéball had been destroyed.

Jessie and James were still coughing from the smoke of the explosion when they heard Professor Oak call out. "Just what is going on here?! Who are you?"

There was a brief pause and then the inevitable happened.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

Meowth was still buried beneath the pile of bricks, mortar and machinery, but he managed to deliver his line. "Meowth! That's right!"

Professor Oak slapped his forehead and groaned. "Oh no! Not you again! Why are you here now?"

Jessie smirked as she said, "Well we were here to steal the plans to the Mega-Transporter Pokéball."

The scientist glanced at the destroyed safe and his eyes widened at the sight of the melted paper residue. He turned back to the villains and said sadly, "I'm afraid that it's not possible now. The acid had destroyed the last copy of the blueprints. It will take years for us to recreate the MTP from scratch."

"Yes we know." James admitted as he took out a Pokéball. "But we can't go back to the boss empty-handed, so…"

"So?" The professor didn't like where this conversation was going.

"So we're going to steal all the Pokémon you're taking care of for those trainers." Jessie sneered. She then pointed to Raiden. "And we're going to start with that little Pikachu." She then gestured to her Arbok. "Arbok! Go!"

"Charbok!" The serpent Pokémon lunged forward to do its master's bidding.

Suddenly, the Arbok was sent flying backward as Ranma leapt up and delivered a hard side kick. His foot slammed into its head and sent it crashing through the back wall. Jessie gaped in shock as Ranma landed and took a ready stance in front of his Pikachu and Professor Oak.

"What the…? How dare you strike my Arbok!?" Jessie was still stunned that anyone had actually gone against such a fearsome Pokémon without using another Pokémon to battle it.

Ranma snarled as he said. "I don't like fighting girls but if you think I'm going to stand here and let you take my Pikachu then you better think again! If you want Raiden then you'll have to get past me!"

"Wheezing! Go!" James threw out his Pokéball and it opened up to reveal the pollution Pokémon. Ranma's eyes widened as he gazed on the strange creature. 

"Wheezing!"

"Wheezing, use your sludge attack!"

The mouth of the Wheezing opened up and a huge spout of toxic liquid spewed forth. Ranma evaded the sludge by jumping to the side, while at the same time, pushing Professor Oak to the other side. Raiden leapt up to avoid the attack, then cut loose with a Thunderbolt.

"Pika… CHU!"

The huge blast of electricity caught James, Jessie and Wheezing, causing their hair to stand up on end. Their bodies twitched and spasm as more than 20, 000 volts was sent through them. Ranma rolled to his feet and then began concentrating his ki. Just as Raiden's attack ended, Ranma let loose with his own.

"SHOCK ATTACK!"

To amazed eyes of Professor Oak and the horrified eyes of Team Rocket, the pigtailed martial artist let go with another sizzling bolt of electricity. This attack wasn't as strong as Raiden's, but it was enough to give Team Rocket another jolting experience. The three were sent flying through the hole in the wall that Arbok had made and tumbled down the hill. The y fell on their faces near a recovering Arbok.

Ranma and Raiden followed their adversaries out the hole and down the hill. When they reached the bottom, Jessie and James had just gotten to their feet. Seeing Ranma and his Pokémon take up fighting stances, Jessie pushed away her confusion over the martial artist's unexpected power and directed her Arbok to attack. 

"Arbok! Poison Sting Needles!"

The Arbok opened it mouth and began spitting out thin needles at Ranma and Raiden. Ranma swerved to the right while his Pikachu moved to the left. However, they had failed to notice that they had been standing in front of a water storage tank. The needles punctured the tank and sent water spraying everywhere. Unfortunately for Ranma, he was caught by one of the sprays and that water was cold!

Ranma-chan winced as she felt herself transform. As her hair turned red and her body became more curved, she leapt up and delivered a reverse spin kick to down the Arbok.

"Huh? You're a girl?" Jessie said in surprise.

"I ain't a girl!" Ranma-chan spat out as she dealt the Arbok a blow to the head, laying it low. 

James had just turned around to direct his Wheezing when he saw a fiery-haired beauty take down Jessie's Pokémon. _Wow! Who's that?_ He was so entranced by how cute she looked that he didn't see Raiden powering up his ki abilities. When he finally noticed the blue energies that were being emitted by the Pikachu, it was too late. 

"Pika… pika… CHU!"

A bolt of ki energy was launched from the Pikachu's outstretched paws and slammed into the Wheezing like a sledgehammer. The noxious Pokémon was sent flying and tumbled to the ground in a daze. 

"Wheezing! Oof!" James called after his Pokémon, but was stopped short as Ranma-chan slammed an elbow to his gut, then followed through with a punch to the face. Though her strength wasn't as great as it was when she was in her male form, she still packed quite a wallop. James went sprawling. It was like being hit by a Slowbro's Mega-Punch.

Just as Ranma-chan moved forward to finish him off, something jumped hit her from behind and began scratching at her back. Ranma-chan yelped as she reached behind and grabbed at… fur?

Ranma-chan's blood became cold and a shiver went down her spine. She swallowed hard as she pulled off whatever was on her back and held it up to look at it.

Meowth scowled at her and said, "Listen up toots. Nobody beats up on Jessie and James but me, ya got that?" He then leapt onto his head and began biting it.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Raiden, Jessie, James, Arbok, Wheezing and Professor Oak turned their heads to the sound of Ranma-chan's scream. They were more than surprised to see the martial artist start running around like a chicken with its head cut off. On her head. Meowth was still clamped onto her head.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! C-C-CAT!!!!"

Jessie and James could only stare in amazement as Ranma-chan ran about in circles, frantically waving her arms and shouting. After watching this exhibition for a few moments, Jessie smiled evilly and said, "Well now. It looks like we don't have to worry about her. She's seems to have a fear of cats."

"Afraid of cats?" James asked in confusion.

Jessie nodded while giving him a smug look. "Yes. Now there's nothing to stop us from stealing all the Pokémon here." She then indicated to Raiden, who was still watching its trainer as she went through her hysterics. "Let's grab that Pikachu! It's already shown that it's more valuable than that little twerp's!"

"Let's go!" James agreed.

  
Meanwhile, Ranma-chan was still running about with Meowth still holding onto her face. Inside of her, the fragile tether to her sanity was being stretched to its breaking point. Finally, after a few more moments of sheer terror, the tether snapped. Meowth didn't know what was going on when Ranma-chan suddenly dropped to all fours, but he did get a sinking feeling when he heard her meow.

At this time, Team Rocket had Raiden and Professor Oak backed against the side of a side wall. Raiden began powering up his ki. It wasn't going to be separated from its new trainer. It was then that he and all the others saw something being tossed to the ground. The bundle rolled to a stop and Jessie and James looked down at their feet.

There was Meowth, dazed and beaten. His body was littered with hundreds of little scratches and it looked like he had been put through a cheese grater. His eyes were glazed and he let out a pathetic little moan.

"Meowth, what happened to you?" Jessie asked.

It was then that they heard a sound. It was low and sounded like the warning sounds of a wounded and cornered… cat? They slowly turned around and saw… her.

There was Ranma-chan on all fours and snarling like an angry cat. Her eyes were bloodshot and reflected the rage within. Without any further warning, Ranma-chan leapt toward them and began dealing out massive amounts of pain.

"OW! YOWTCH! OUCH!" **SLASH! CUT GRIND! SLICE!** "YOW! WHOA! HOLD ON!" **FFFT! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!** "OWIE! OWTCH! YOWZA!" 

The entire mauling was soon enveloped in a cloud of dust as Ranma-chan shredded Team Rocket. Professor Oak and Raiden winced as they heard the villains scream out in pain. Then, in one massive explosion of fury, the bad guys and their Pokémon were sent flying. 

"Looks like Team Rocket if blasting off again!" After seeing Team Rocket disappear in the sky, Professor Oak and Raiden stared down ad Ranma-chan. She was still on all fours and seemed to have calmed down. It was then that she caught sight of the Pikachu. Seeing such a huge mouse in her sights, the Neko Ken fighter could only think of one thing. Dinnertime! She leapt up and tried to pounce on Raiden.

The little Pikachu couldn't understand why its trainer was suddenly attacking it, but it had to defend itself. In the instant before Ranma-chan could get her claws on him, the electric rodent let loose with a bolt of electricity!

"Pika… Chu!"

Ranma-chan screamed out in pain as the voltage hit her. Her body twitched and went through a series of convulsions before she fell to the ground in a daze. Then her body went still.

"Pika, pika!" Raiden ran toward his master, hoping that his electric attack hadn't harmed her too much. He landed on her stomach and placed an ear to her breast. A moment later, he let off a sigh of relief as he was rewarded with the sound of a heartbeat. A minute later, he heard a moan.

"Uuuuhhhh!" Ranma-chan slowly came back to consciousness as he felt something on her chest. Focusing her eyes on whatever was leaning over her chest, she was soon smiling as she saw the familiar face of her Pokémon. "Hey Raiden. What happened?"

"I was hoping that you would tell me Ranma."

Ranma-chan looked up and saw Professor Oak standing over her and Raiden. She didn't understand the look of confusion on his face until she noted that he was staring at her chest. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was in her cursed form. She then remembered the fight and said, "I guess I owe you an explanation."

Professor Oak nodded as he said, "Now there's an understatement."

Sometime later, Ranma and his Pikachu were in an undamaged lab of the compound as he had finished his entire life's story, the curse, how he arrived in this world and the events following his arrival.

When Ranma had finished, Professor Oak was more than impressed. "Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I would have never believed that you were from an alternate Earth if I hadn't seen those other things. Although, you're being from another world would explain why you don't know anything about Pokémon."

"I've been meaning to ask you Professor. Just what are… Pokémon?"

The scientist smiled as they were on a subject that he excelled at. "Pokémon are the special creatures of this world. They possess many amazing abilities and they are very intelligent to boot. Your Pikachu is an example of a Pokémon." Oak pointed at Raiden.

"Really?" Ranma gazed at Raiden.

"Pikachu." Raiden smiled at his trainer's surprise.

"Yes." Oak continued with his explanations. "The creatures that you saw with Team Rocket were also Pokémon. Even that talking Meowth."

Ranma shivered at the thought of that talking cat. "So, these… Pokémon are what everyone are always talking about?"

"Yes. You see, Pokémon are an integral part of our way of life. Some people use them to aid them in their jobs, while others may just keep them as pets. However, the people who are most interested in Pokémon are researchers such as myself, breeders and trainers. I thought that you were a trainer when I saw your Pikachu battle Team Rocket. I must admit, your Pokémon is very powerful."

Ranma smiled as his pride came to the surface. "Well, thanks. I'd like to think that I was a good sensei to him. He did so much for me and he helped me a lot ever since I arrived in this world. With all the craziness and the curse to deal with, Raiden was the only one I could turn to for comfort."

"Speaking of your curse, would you mind showing it to me again?" Oak asked.

"Well…" Ranma had grown used to the curse but he still did not like it when he became a girl. "Why would you want to see it again?"

"I would like to study it and try to figure out just how it can cause such a radical change in form. From what I've seen so far, it resembles the process in which a Pokémon undergoes when it evolves to a higher stage."

"Hey, I don't want to end up as some guinea pig!" Ranma spat out.

The scientist raised a hand and said in a clam voice. "You misunderstand me Ranma. I'm not going to dissect you or subject you to any kind of experiment that would harm you. I certainly won't tell anyone about it as I can see that it makes you very uncomfortable. If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same way. What I'm proposing is that you allow me to study your curse and try to figure out its mechanisms. You see, there's a chance that I might be able to find a way for you to control it, perhaps even cure you completely."

"Really?" Ranma's interest went up.

"Yes, and I believe that whatever information I get would be of value toward my own studies on Pokémon evolution. I would also like to know how you were able to copy the attacks of a Pikachu and a Meowth. In return, I'll help you to control your curse and even try to help you get back to your world. So you see, we both benefit from this. So how about it?"

"Well…" Ranma was still unsure about it all.

Oak then decided to sweeten the deal. "Tell you what Ranma. Do you still want that job? I do have a spare room on the compound that you can use and while you're here, I can teach you all about Pokémon. You can help me with tending the Pokémon. I'll even throw in free meals and board. It's the least I can do for you after you and Raiden drove off Team Rocket and saved all the Pokémon. What do you say?"

Ranma thought about it for some more. What did he have to lose? It wasn't as if he had any better offers. A few more minutes passed before Ranma nodded his assent.

A month later…

Ranma entered the rebuilt main lab where Professor Oak was waiting for him. Behind him, Raiden trotted alongside of him. The scientist was sitting at a table with several glasses of ice water and a teakettle. 

"You wanted to see me Professor Oak?"

"Yes Ranma. I have some good news for you. After scanning your body through the spectrographic analyzer, I had discovered something about your water-activated curse."

"What about it?" "Well, I compared your transformation to that of a Water Pokémon when it evolves. Amazingly enough, the energies are very similar. Apparently, your curse has all the same characteristics of a Water Pokémon's evolving energies when it moves up to the next stage. However, unlike a Water Pokémon, your curse is highly unstable, which explains why you are affected by hot and cold water. You need something to stabilize the curse's energy field so that you'll stay in one form. Here." Oak reached into a drawer and pulled out a small object and handed it to Ranma.

Ranma looked down and recognized it. "A Water Stone? This is used to evolve water-type Pokémon. What's that got to do with my curse?"

Oak smiled as he picked up a glass of ice water and splashed Ranma in the face.

"Sputter! Hey what was that for?!" It was then that he looked down at himself and saw that he had not changed into his cursed form. He then noticed that the water stone in his hand was glowing slightly. He looked up in confusion at Professor Oak.

Oak smiled as he said, "As I suspected. The Water Stone's inner energies are stabilizing your curse. So long as that stone is in close proximity with you, your curse will not be affected by water temperature. If you were a girl and holding that stone then hot water wouldn't change you into a boy."

Ranma began to smile as the implications began to set in. No longer would Ranma had to worry about being caught in an embarrassing situation whenever the wrong type of water splashed him. It wasn't a total cure, but it was a lot better. "All right! This is great! Thanks Professor!"

"You're welcome Ranma."

"Man, I can't wait to see Pop's face when I show him this!" Ranma picked up his Pikachu and happily swung him around. Raiden squeaked with joy at his master's happiness.

It was then that Professor Oak frowned. He had hoped that the discovery of a partial cure for his curse would make him forget about that other problem of his. Unfortunately, the latest data had come in and there was no way around it. Oak sighed as he said, "Ranma, there is something else I should be telling you. I wish that it would be under better circumstances, but…"

Ranma's happy mood was cut short as He set Raiden down. "What is it, Professor Oak?"

Oak sighed again as he said, "Sit down Ranma." When Ranma did so, Oak gave him the bad news. "I'm afraid that the latest reports have come in. After you told me about how you got here, I came to suspect it was due to the Mega-Transporter Pokéball implosion a few months back."

"Yeah, so? You told me about that already. So what's wrong?" "Well, I'm afraid that it's going to be a lot harder than I thought to duplicate the accident that transported you to our world. There were several unknown factors that were involved and I'm afraid that without the blueprints to the device, it will take our scientists years to reconstruct a new prototype. And even then, we can't be sure if it'll work."

"YEARS?! I'M GOING TO BE STUCK HERE?!? MAYBE FOREVER?!" Ranma's eyes widened as the truth sank in. He began to look deeply into the scientist's face, hoping that he was joking. Oak's serious expression told him he was not. Ranma couldn't believe it. After finally finding a way to control his curse, he was now faced with the possibility of never returning home. 

"I'm sorry Ranma." Ranma neither heard nor cared about Oak's apology as he turned and bolted from the laboratory in frustration. Raiden followed after his master.

Later that night, Professor Oak knocked on the door to Ranma's room.

"Go away." Ranma's voice sounded subdued.

Professor Oak shook his head as he turned the knob and entered the room. Ranma was sitting on his bed with his knees folded up against his chest. One arm was on his knees while he was using the other arm to absently stroke Raiden's head. His expression was one of sorrow and depression as he barely glanced at Oak and said, "I said go away."

Oak shook his head as he said, "Ranma, I know you feel bad about not being able to go home anytime soon, but moping about it won't help. I'm working on the problem but you can't expect me to have the answer in an instant. As I told you, it's going to take a few years and I'd hate to see you wasting your time like this when you could be doing something more productive. I've seen some great potential within you and I won't have you waste it. It's time you started to take control of your life and perhaps make a future for yourself."

Ranma raised his head and said, "What future do I have?"

Oak took out a sheet of paper from his lab coat and placed it on the bed in front of Ranma.

Ranma glanced at the paper and asked, "What's that?"

"It's an application form for getting a Pokémon trainer's license."

"I'm a martial artist, not a Pokémon trainer! Why would I want to be a Pokémon trainer? I can fight my own battles!"

Oak shook his head and replied, "Now, I don't believe that. You may be an excellent martial artist, but you've also got an extraordinary talent for teaching and handling Pokémon. Your Pikachu has gotten so powerful that I'd expect it to win against an Onix with both eyes closed and using no electric attacks. I've also seen you handle the other Pokémon in the compound. You've got a natural gift for raising Pokémon. Why not put that gift to good use?" Ranma was about to protest when the scientist stopped him with a raised hand. "Now I know that you think that it's slavery by keeping Pokémon in Pokéballs and making them battle, but think of it this way. You said it yourself that you liked to think of yourself as Raiden's sensei. By training other Pokémon to fight, you fulfill that role as a teacher. You also learn about others as well as yourself. It would be a good way for you to train. Wouldn't you like to be able to do other attacks as well? Besides, you might just start to like to raising Pokémon."

Ranma had to smile at that. Training with Raiden had been good.

"Besides, going out to catch and train Pokémon will give you something to do. I said that there might be a chance to send you home. All is not lost. Besides, it's not like you have anything else better to do."

Ranma said nothing but nodded.

"Well Ranma, I can't tell you how to run your life, but please think about it." The kindly scientist then quietly left the room.

Ranma stared for a long time at the sheet of paper, then directed his gaze to his Pokémon. The little electric mouse gazed back at him with questioning eyes.

"A trainer huh? What do you think Raiden? Should I do it?"

Raiden thought about it for a moment, then said while nodding, "Pika. Pikachu pi." He wanted to go out in the world. Professor Oak's compound was a nice place, but the electric Pokémon had felt confined. He missed the days when he and Ranma were traveling free on the road. He also wanted to test his new skills against other Pokémon, and perhaps even compete in the famous Pokémon League. He was not allowed to battle the other Pokémon in the compound. Raiden had also noticed that his trainer had become listless and was suffering from homesickness. A Pokémon journey might be just the thing to cure him of his depression.

Ranma nodded at his Pikachu's opinion and then picked up the application form. Reaching over to a table near his bed, he picked up a pencil and began filling out the form.

A week later…

Ranma hefted his backpack as he and Raiden prepared to leave Professor Oak's compound. 

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself Professor Oak?"

"Oh it's no problem Ranma. I've already gotten someone else to take your place in helping handle the Pokémon. I'm just glad that you took my advice to become a trainer." He then held out a few items. "Here are your Pokéballs and your Pokédex. It's already been upgraded with the latest information on the newest Pokémon discoveries. Now do you have my number?" 

Ranma nodded as he opened the device and pointed it at Raiden. The sensor on the top of the Pokédex scanned him and began its programmed response.

*PIKACHU. A MOUSE POKÉMON OF THE ELECTRIC TYPE. WHEN SEVERAL PIKACHU GATHER TOGETHER, THEY HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE STORMS AND ELECTRICAL BLACKOUTS. IT'S STRONGEST ELECTRIC ATTACKS INCLUDE THUNDERBOLT AND THUNDERSHOCK. IT IS ABLE TO SHOCK WITH A MAXIMUM OF 10,000 VOLTS.*

Ranma smirked as he said, "I think you'd better update this Pokédex a bit more. Last I checked, Raiden has been able to get up to 95,000 volts. He could almost match a Raichu. He's also got other electric attacks that you don't know about."

Oak smiled back as he said, "With you training Raiden, I wouldn't doubt it. In any case, keep in touch and good luck Ranma."

Thanks Professor." He looked down at the pendant around his neck. The scientist had later discovered that a small fragment of a Water Stone was sufficient enough to keep Ranma's curse in check, and had made a necklace for him. The martial artist then looked down at Raiden.

Raiden smiled up at his trainer as he used a paw to pat the new headband he was wearing. Ranma had made it a few days earlier, just after he had received his trainer's license. The band was made of a strip of soft white cloth and had a yin/yang symbol emblazoned on the front. It also had yellow lightning bolts circling the symbol. "Pikachu!"

Ranma nodded as he waved goodbye to Professor Oak and started running. Raiden leapt high and landed on the top of Ranma's backpack as they began making their way toward their first destination, Viridian City.

To be continued? 

Author's Notes

Well, that's all I'm going to do for the expansion to Fist of the Pikachu. Give me some comments on whether this should be the winner of Son of the Bet. As for when this story took place, Ranma had arrived at the Pokémon world about a few weeks before the Pokémon League championships. By the time he got to Professor Oak, the competition was already over and Ash had been sent to get the GS Pokéball. 


	4. Chapter 4: Wind Rider and Wildfire

**

Fist of the Pikachu

**

Chapter Four

Wind Rider and Wildfire

Ranma and Raiden were traveling along a dirt road that was going through the forest near Pallet Town. It had been two days since Ranma had left Professor Oak's compound and started on his Pokémon journey. Since then, he had been trying his best to follow the rules of being a Pokémon trainer, but it had not been easy. Apparently, he had begun to have second thoughts about becoming a Pokémon trainer.

The day before… 

Ranma and his Pikachu were just setting up camp when Raiden spotted something and tugged at Ranma's shirt to get his attention.

"Huh? What is it Raiden?"

"Pika! Pika!"

Ranma looked to where the electric mouse was indicating and saw a bird that landed nearby. Ranma wondered what all the fuss was about. Then his Pikachu tapped the pocket where he kept his Pokédex.

"Huh? Is that a Pokémon?" "Pika! Pika pi!" Raiden nodded.

Ranma opened up the device and pointed it at the bird.

*PIDGEY. A BIRD POKÉMON OF THE FLYING TYPE. THESE POKÉMON HAVE A PLEASANT DEMEANOR AND ARE EASY TO CATCH FOR BEGINNERS. ITS ATTACKS INCLDE SAND, WHIRLWIND AND GUST.*

"Well…" Ranma wasn't too sure if he wanted to catch such a gentle-looking creature. He certainly didn't like the idea of using Raiden to battle it and then use a Pokéball to capture it after it was weakened. He had been taught not to pick on the weak.

"Pikachu!" Raiden was more than ready to battle and test his new abilities. 

Ranma sighed as he gave Raiden the go ahead with a nod. This was why he was out here in the first place. 

The little electric Pokémon wasted no time as it charged the Pidgey. The bird noted the sudden rustling of the grass and saw Raiden coming at it with its cheek pouches sparking. When it saw the human standing behind it a few meters away, it immediately realized that Ranma was a Pokémon trainer. It then took to the air.

To the Pidgey's surprise, Raiden had not automatically released his electric attack. Instead, the Pikachu leapt high into the air and the Pidgey found itself looking up at its opponent. The electric rodent had leapt more than twenty-five feet! Raiden then seemed to defy gravity as it turned and twisted in midair. Just as Pidgey came to the same height as Raiden, the Pikachu moved forward and began delivering several kicks and punches to the bird.

Pidgey was caught off guard to a midair physical assault from an electric mouse and was stunned for several seconds. That was all Raiden needed as he gracefully landed back on the ground and let loose with a light Thunderbolt attack.

"Pika… chu!"

The lightning hit the Pidgey dead on and the bird fell to the ground in a daze.

Ranma nodded at Raiden's performance. He had demonstrated his aerial skills as midair combat was a specialty of the Saotome School of the Anything Goes Martial Arts. As he watched the bird plummet toward the ground, he let off another depressed sigh as he reached around his belt, pulled out a Pokéball and pressed the activator button. The device expanded to its full size and with a casual toss, Ranma sent it up toward the Pigey.

The Pokéball struck the Pidgey lightly and opened up. The bird's form glowed with an eerie light, then it was instantly sucked into the capture device. The Pokéball closed up and landed lightly on the ground. Ranma looked at the activator button and waited. When the button turned from red to white, the capture was complete. Pidgey was his.

Ranma stared at the Pokéball for a long while as he thought about the capture meant. By all rights, he should feel proud at his first Pokémon catch. Unlike regular trainers, Raiden had needed no instruction from him in this battle, and had demonstrated that Ranma's martial arts training was effective. But it had been too easy. Pidgey had never stood a chance against Raiden's superior skills and Ranma felt badly about sending Raiden after it with no real cause other than to catch it.

"Pika pi!" Raiden said happily as he ran up to the feet of its trainer. 

Ranma said nothing as he continued to gaze at the Pokéball.

"Pi? Pikachu?"

Ranma finally noticed his friend when it started tugging at his pants. He looked down at the slightly puzzled expression of his Pokémon, then gave him a small smile. "Uh… you did a good job Raiden. I… guess Pidgey should be… uhhh…. well…" It was then that he huffed in frustration as an image of the injured Pidgey came across in his mind. "Aw nuts! I can't do it!"

"Pika?"

"I'm sorry Raiden. You did a great job, but I just can't do it!" Ranma walked over to the Pokéball, picked it up and then tossed it up in the air. "Pidgey! Come out!"

The Pokéball split open and the bird Pokémon was released. It fluttered to the ground and landed in front of the Ranma and Raiden. The martial artist frowned as he saw the injuries that Pigey had sustained in its battle with his Pikachu. The winged Pokémon stared at its new trainer and waited for its orders.

The pigtailed martial artist pointed to the sky and said, "Go. You're free. I… I'm sorry that I… we attacked you."

"Pidge?" The bird Pokémon was confused.

Pidgey wasn't the only one who was confused. "Pika pi?"

Ranma repeated himself, this time a little more forcefully. "Go! You're free!"

Pidgey was still a little confused at the human's actions, but it was a command. Flapping its wings, it took to the air. A minute later, it had disappeared from sight.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Raiden couldn't believe it. All that hard work, and all for nothing! It became a little steamed at his trainer's reluctance and turned to give him a piece of his mind. When he looked up at Ranma, the electric mouse's irritation faded when it saw that Ranma was sad. He was trying very hard to hold back his tears. Raiden's trainer said not a word as he went back to the campsite. 

The present…

"Pikachu?"

Ranma still didn't comprehend his Pokémon's dialect, but he could guess at what he was saying at the moment. "You're probably asking me why I let that Pidgey go, right?"

From his position atop Ranma's backpack, Raiden nodded.

Ranma sighed as he said, " I think it was a mistake to become a Pokémon trainer."

"Pika pi?"

"I… just couldn't do it. It… didn't feel right for me to put that Pidgey into that Pokéball. I mean, you did hurt that Pidgey pretty bad, didn't you?"

Raiden paused to consider it. It had to admit that it was too easy. His new skills had made his far more formidable. That Pidgey had not stood a chance.

"And I really felt bad when I put it in that Pokéball. I… just couldn't go through with it! I was trained to be a martial artist! I'm supposed to protect the weak! Now here I am, catching Pokémon by weakening them and putting them in Pokéballs! It… feels like I'm collecting slaves. It seems like I'm going against everything that I was taught."

Raiden was about to protest, but then thought about it. Like some Pokémon, he didn't like to be confined. He could understand Ranma's reluctance to capture Pokémon. However, that was what trainers do. That was the reason why they were out here. Raiden was registered as his Pokémon and now they must catch and train other Pokémon so that they could achieve their best potential. Raiden had already exceeded the limits of a normal Pikachu.

"Pika pikachu!"

Ranma shook his head sadly as they continued on to Viridian City. 

Unknown to both of them, flying high above them, the same Pidgey that Ranma had caught earlier was quietly following them. It had become intrigued at the behavior of this Pokémon trainer and his Pikachu. The human showed genuine regret over having his Pokémon attack it and had set it free. This, and the fact that the Pikachu had displayed some extraordinary skills, had caught the bird's interest. If that human could train his electric mouse in midair combat, then it was possible that Pidgey could learn some new tricks as well. There was something about the human that made him unique and the Pidgey wanted to know what it was.

It was near sundown as Ranma and Raiden set up camp for the night. During the day, Ranma had passed up several opportunities to capture Pokémon. Raiden had become exasperated when his trainer refused to send him out to battle a Venomoth, a Beedrill, a Gloom and a Nidoran. Although he understood Ranma's reluctance, Raiden was getting frustrated. At this rate, it would be a long time before they would have the minimum of six Pokémon that all trainers were supposed to have. Raiden wanted to see if his new martial arts and ki techniques were effective against other Pokémon and his trainer wasn't cooperating!

As he sat by the campfire, Ranma noted the mood that Raiden was in and said, "I'm sorry Raiden. I know that I'm supposed to catch Pokémon, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Maybe… you'd be better off with another trainer."

Raiden's features softened at the saddened expression of his friend. Its frustration was forgotten as it moved forward and nuzzled against Ranma's leg. "Pika!" The electric shook his head. He wouldn't have any other trainer. Ranma had saved his life and taught him things that he would have never achieved on his own. They had been through too much together and Raiden wasn't going to abandon him now. 

Ranma smiled as he stroked his Pikachu behind his ears. It was then that he heard a noise. His Pokémon also heard it as both turned their heads toward the sound of a… horse?

Momentarily forgetting the current crisis, the two raced off toward the sound. As they got closer toward the sound, they reached the edge of the forest and saw something that was bucking about. Nearby, two large and burly-looking boys were pulling hard on ropes that were tied around the horse's neck. The horse itself was a sight as its mane and tail flickered and glowed like… flames? He could also see smaller flames near its hooves. Its body was a light cream color and when Ranma looked closer, he could see several marks and bruises. Whatever it was, it had been fighting hard to avoid capture. Ranma brought out his Pokédex.

*PONYTA. A HORSE POKÉMON OF THE FIRE ELEMENT. ITS HAIR IS ACTUALLY MADE OF LIVING FLAME AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TAME EVEN FOR EXPERT TRAINERS.*

Ranma was astounded at the sight of such a magnificent animal as he watched the three boys pull hard on the ropes. He wondered why the ropes were not catching on fire. Then suddenly, a fourth boy appeared and threw a large, weighted net over Ponyta.

"I got him!" The newcomer shouted as the net covered Ponyta and brought it down.

The first boy smiled as he and the others converged on the downed horse and began securing the lines and nets.

"He's a beauty!" The second boy said as he secured Ponyta's hind legs.

"Man, I can't wait to take this one back home! He's going to do great in the Pokémon League! Making those ropes and net out of asbestos was a good idea!" The third boy said as he tightened the ropes and netting round Ponyta's neck.

Ranma became sickened at the sounds of Ponyta's cries of pain and suffering. The sight of those boys beating on such a magnificent animal was more than Ranma could bear. Without a second thought, the pig-tailed martial artist started charging toward them. Sensing that this could turn into something ugly, Raiden quickly scampered after his impulsive trainer.

Far above them, in a nearby tree, Pidgey watched with interest.

"Watch it you guys!" The first boy yelled as Ponyta let off a stream of flame from its mane. 

"I got it covered!" The second boy said as he brought out a Pokéball. "Cool him off with you water cannons, Blastoise!"

The Pokéball opened up and the final evolved form of a Squirtle appeared. The upper sections of its shell opened up to reveal two huge nozzles that pivoted toward the downed Ponyta. Twin streams of water shot out and doused the fire horse.

Ponyta let off a shriek of pain as it felt its flames begin to die under the massive torrent of water. Huge clouds of steam rose up as the horse desperately tried to raise the temperature of its flames to keep them from being extinguished.

"Stop it you idiot!" The first boy yelled. "If Ponyta's flames are put out, then it'll die!"

The second boy held up the Pokéball and recalled his Blastoise. "Blastoise return!"

After the turtle Pokémon was recalled, the three boys carefully began approaching their soggy catch. Ponyta groaned and whimpered as it lay on its side. Its mane and tail were flickering, narrow flames and it seemed as if they would disappear any moment. The flames near its hooves had been reduced to pitiful embers. Added to the other injuries it had sustained during the battle, the outlook did not look good.

"Aw geez! All that trouble and three weeks of work down the drain! This is all your fault!" The first boy shouted to the second.

"Hey I'm sorry!" The second boy said. "But I couldn't think of anything else to do!"

"You jerk!" The third boy said. "We spent three weeks tracking this Ponyta, not mention the trouble it took to make those fireproof ropes and nets!"

"I said I was sorry! What more do you want?"

"You stupid jerk! I ought to…"

"Hey! Leave that Ponyta alone!"

The three boys turned and saw Ranma running up toward them. Raiden was hot on his trainer's heels. When the two came to the scene, they stopped and gasped at the sight. Ponyta's flames were nearly out and it was bleeding from several open wounds.

"Who the heck are you?" The first boy asked.

"Butt out pal, if you know what's good for you!" The second boy said.

"This is our catch, so get lost!" The third boy added.

Ranma couldn't believe the condition Ponyta was in. Remembering what Professor Oak had told him about various fire-type Pokémon, he said, "Ponyta won't last through the night! Its flames are nearly out! It needs to be brought to a Pokémon center, now!"

The three toughs became more angered at being told what to do. The first boy brought out a Pokéball and yelled, "We don't need some know-it-all telling us what to do! Looks like we're going to have to teach you to keep your nose out of other people's business! Golem… go!"

The Pokéball released the rock-type Pokémon, which appeared before them. The creature resembled a giant boulder with arms and legs. Its head pooped out of the front and it stared at its opponents with its beady little eyes. 

"Golem!"

_Uh oh!_ Ranma took out his Pokédex.

*Golem. A rock-type Pokémon. Golem is the evolved form of Graveler. Every year it sheds is outer skin and grows larger. Its skin is tough enough to withstand a bomb.

Ranma took a battle stance and prepared to attack it. It was then that Raiden tugged at his pants leg, causing him to look down.

"Pikachu! Pika pika!"

"You… want to do this?" Ranma asked as he looked deep into his Pokémon's eyes.

"Pika!" Raiden nodded as he hopped forward and faced off against the Golem.

Ranma was about to protest, but then thought about how much Raiden wanted to prove his skills in battle. Though Ranma preferred to fight his own battles, he could understand the electric rodent's desire to fight. After all those missed opportunities to catch Pokémon, Raiden was entitled to this battle. Nodding his head, Ranma resigned himself to the role of directing his Pokémon in the battle. Besides, Ponyta was fading fast and they had to get it away from these boys as soon as possible. 

"Okay Raiden! Let's do it!"

When the Golem's trainer saw the Pikachu with the white headband, he gave off a short laugh. "Hah! And you call yourself a trainer! Everyone knows that electric-type Pokémon are weak against rock-types! Golem! Take them out with your rolling attack!"

"Golem!" The Golem retracted its limbs and head and began tumbling toward Raiden at a fast clip. The ground rumbled as the massive Pokémon rolled toward Raiden with the intent on flattening the electric mouse into yellow pancake.

Ranma nodded to Raiden. Raiden understood his trainer's silent command and began focusing his ki. The three boys stared in amazement as they saw the Pikachu glow with a blue aura. The light began to intensify as Golem neared it. Just as the Golem was about to crush Raiden, the Pokémon leapt high in a spectacular jump to evade it. The trainer of the Golem and his two friends looked up in shock as the Pikachu rose to a height of twenty-five feet! As Raiden reached the apex of his jump, he brought his paws forward and aimed them down at the area in front of the still rolling Golem.

"RAIDEN! KI BLAST!"

"Pika… CHU!"

Ranma smiled as Raiden released a small, blue ball of energy at the ground where the Golem was about to roll onto. The energy impacted the ground with a large detonation, causing a ditch to be formed. The Golem went crashing down into the depression and ceased rolling, its forward momentum halted by the sudden appearance of the ditch. Finding itself wedged in the hole, the rock Pokémon extended its limbs and head and began to pull itself out. Just as it got back onto level ground, Raiden landed behind it and took a stance. When Golem turned around, Ranma gave out the final command.

"RAIDEN! STONEBREAKER QUICK ATTACK!"

"Pikachu!" The little electric rodent charged at its larger opponent with lightning-fast speed. Before the slow-moving Golem could begin to even defend itself, Raiden was already upon it. Using his agility to avoid the clumsy flailing of its arms, Raiden began zipping back and forth, making many passes at the Golem. Every time he passed it, he delivered several ki-enhanced strikes to its rocky surface. The Pokémon was moving far too fast for the three boys to follow and all they could hear were the sounds of something striking the Golem's body. 

A few seconds later, Raiden completed his attack and landed in front of Ranma in a ready stance. For a long while, no one sPoké. The Golem was standing with a confused look on its face.

"Hah! Cute trick, but your Pikachu didn't do nothing to my Golem!" The first boy scoffed as he saw that his Pokémon was unharmed.

"Oh really?" Ranma said with a smirk. He then pointed to the Golem.

The three boys looked back at the Golem and their expressions paled. The rock Pokémon let off a long and pitiful; moan as it began to experience a new sensation, pain. Its massive body shook as cracks began to form on its skin. Large chips and shards of its protective armor fell to the ground. Its arms and head had bruises and bumps forming on them as the results of Raiden's attack were made visible. Raiden had struck Golem in strategic areas of its body, making certain that each strike either hit a vulnerable spot, like the legs, arms and head, or cause the skin to crack under the strain. One moment later, the Golem toppled forward to the ground. The ground shook slightly as more than a ton of rock Pokémon came crashing down.

"Go… lem." Half a second later, Golem was out like a light.

"Golem!" The trainer couldn't believe that an electric rat had felled his mighty Golem.

"I don't believe it!" The second boy said.

"Impossible!" The third boy shouted.

Ranma took a stance to match that of Raiden's and spoke again. This time, his voice was low and deadly. "That was just a small sample of what Raiden can do. I think it's fair to warn you that I'm no pushover either." Ranma began focusing his own ki. Raiden followed suit and the two were soon glowing with blue auras.

This was not lost on the toughs who thought that a Pikachu was no match for a Golem. They began to back away as they each pulled out a Pokéball.

"Last chance boys. Either clear out now and leave this Ponyta alone, or else!"

"We're not scared of you!" The first boy said defiantly, although he and his friends were trembling like leaves.

"Yeah!" The other two boys said as they prepared to launch their own Pokémon.

Ranma frowned as he and Raiden prepared to let loose with their ki.

Meanwhile, Pidgey had seen enough. It had been very impressed at the way Raiden had defeated the Golem. The Pikachu and his trainer were very special. Furthermore, this human and his Pokémon were risking their own safety to save an injured Ponyta from the cruelty of those three boys. The compassion being demonstrated was more than enough to convince the Pidgey that Ranma and Raiden were of a good sort. With that in mind, Pidgey decided to help them. It took off from the tree it was perched on and began flying toward the scene.

It was at the time, the three boys were about to release their Pokémon.

"You may have beaten Golem, but there's no way we're going to give up our catch to you! Let's go guys!"

"Right!" The other boys said as they all reared back to throw their Pokémon.

Then suddenly, they heard a squawking and looked up to see something diving at them. Pidgey swooped down and buzzed the boys, before taking off into the sky again. The sudden attack caused them to drop their Pokéballs. 

Ranma and Raiden were a bit puzzled at why a Pidgey would suddenly attack their opponents, but they weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"RAIDEN! DUAL SHOCK ATTACK!"

Raiden nodded as he began charging up his cheek pouches. Ranma focused a ball of ki in his palms and pulled his hands back. The blue energy began changing to yellow and crackled as power within was being converted. Just as the boys got over their surprise, they looked up and their faces lost all their color at the sight before them.

"Pika… CHU!"

At the same time that Raiden released his electric attack, Ranma let loose with a blast of his own. After practicing this move for months, the twin bolts of lightning were perfectly coordinated and Ponyta's tormentors were subjected to more than 40, 000 volts. The boys screamed out in pain as their bodies twitched and flopped about. When the voltage ran its course, the mean teenagers were sprawled out on the ground. Their hair was frazzled and their clothes were badly singed. They let off a series of painful moans as they looked up and saw and angry Pokémon trainer and his Pikachu preparing for another blast. They knew when enough was enough.

"I'm outta here!"

"They can have that Ponyta!"

"Wait for me!"

Ranma and Raiden relaxed in their stances as they watched their opponents pick up their Pokéballs and make a mad dash from the scene. The first boy lingered for a moment longer to recall his fallen Golem before hightailing it. After the boys had left, Ranma and Raiden rushed to the side of the fallen Ponyta.

Later that night…

Ranma carefully began applying an herbal remedy to a bandage before wrapping it around one of Ponyta's legs. The injured Pokémon was lying on its side as Ranma tended to its wounds. It had been a difficult first few hours as it had been quite skittish and didn't want to be near another human. Ranma could understand its reluctance to be near him, but it needed help. With Viridian City still more than four days away, he had to make do with the medical supplies in his pack and the training in Pokémon First Aid that he had learned from Professor Oak. Even though he was only trying to help it and had no intention to catch it, Ponyta was still suspicious and would try to burn him whenever he got close. Ranma had been forced to tie it down with the fireproof ropes so that he could help. During his administrations, Ranma had discerned that Ponyta was a male stallion and a very young one at that. After many attempts and several burns later, Ranma was almost finished with his treatments. This was the last bandage.

The fire-horse flinched a bit as the stinging solution seeped into his injury, causing his flames to flare a bit. Ranma grit his teeth, as the living flames brushed against his arm. A moment later, Ponyta calmed down and the pigtailed martial artist managed to secure the bandage before getting out a canteen and dousing his arm with water.

"YOW! That smarts!" Ranma commented as the cool waters ran over the burn. He looked down at the injured Pokémon and saw that Ponyta was still trembling. However, he was not making any sudden movements and was at least tolerating Ranma's attempts to help him. When the burning sensation stopped, Ranma sat down and let off a tired sigh. Looking up at the Ponyta, he said in an exhausted voice, "You're making it any easier Ponyta! I told ya that I'm only trying to help! I don't wanna catch you!"

Upon hearing this statement, Ponyta stopped struggling and looked at Ranma with a puzzled expression. He let off a confused sound and stared at him.

Ranma nodded as he sighed. "Look, if I wanted to catch ya, then I would have put you in a Pokéball a long time ago. You were pretty weak when Raiden and me found you. I don't think that it's right to do that to ya. So lay off with the fire okay?"

Ponyta continued to stare at the human for a long time. He was bewildered at the human's actions. he was certain that the pigtailed martial artist was a Pokémon trainer. Why else would he be carrying a Pokédex, Pokéballs and have a Pikachu obey his commands? With the fire-horse in such bad shape, it would be child's play for Ranma to capture him. So why wasn't he? It seemed as if he was totally disgusted with the idea. After a long moment, Ponyta decided to relax a bit.

Ranma nodded as he saw Ponyta calm down. It was then that Raiden popped his head out of Ranma's backpack.

"Pikachu."

Ranma smiled as he said, "Did you find them?"

Raiden nodded as he disappeared into the pack. A moment later, several cans of Pokémon chow were ejected from it and landed near Ranma's feet. Raiden came out of the pack afterwards. 

Ranma smiled as he set about making dinner. Ten minutes later, Raiden was happily munching on a plate of food. In front of Ponyta, Ranma had placed a large plate of food and waited for the fire-horse to eat. After long moments of watching the electric rodent eat, Ponyta was eventually convinced that it was all right to eat the food. When he began to eat, Ranma smiled as he experienced a feeling of déjà vu.

Ten days later…

Ranma, who was holding onto the reins of the makeshift bridle that he had made out of the ropes that those boys had used, was leading Ponyta down a path. Raiden was in his usual place on top of his backpack. When they got a clearing, he began removing the straps.

"Well Ponyta, this is it. You should be well enough to make it on your own now, so I… guess this is goodbye."

Ranma felt a bout of sadness as he looked into Ponyta's fiery red eyes. It had been a hard ten days, but the Pokémon had recovered from its injuries and was ready to run free. Ranma and his Pikachu had been by Ponyta's side the whole time, caring and feeding him until he was well. Now at full health, the fire-horse's mane, tail and other hair areas glowed with a bright, intense color. In the last few days, Ranma had earned Ponyta's trust and the living flames no longer burned him. As the bridle fell away, Ranma felt a sharp pang of regret at having to let this magnificent Pokémon go. However, he still couldn't just put this horse into a Pokéball. It would be too much like slavery and Ranma was still unsure about the whole thing.

When Ponyta shook his head as the bridle was removed, Ranma stepped back and said, "GO! You're free!"

Ponyta just stood there.

"Didn't ya hear me? I said GO! You're free!"

Ponyta did the opposite and leaned forward, nuzzling his head against Ranma's chest. It let off a contented neigh.

Ranma was getting a little irritated and tried to push him away. Ponyta resisted. "Ponyta! I told you! You're free to go! I'm not going to keep ya!" He looked up at his Pikachu and said, "Raiden, what wrong with him?"

Raiden smiled as he realized what was going on. History had repeated itself and now Ponyta was just as attached to Ranma as the electric mouse had gotten to be, all those months ago. It seemed that Ranma's honesty and kindness had netted him another friend for life.

It was then that the horse began leaning toward Ranma's waist. At first, Raiden's trainer didn't understand, but then he noticed what Ponyta was trying to do. He was trying to get at the Pokéballs on his belt.

"Oh no you don't! I told ya! I'm not putting you in any Pokéball! I…"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

The sudden laughter caught Ranma and Raiden off guard. They were so busy with Ponyta that they had failed to notice the approach of some old enemies. Turning around, they saw the three boys they had battled ten days ago. They were standing on a nearby ridge and they weren't alone. They had brought along a few friends. Ranma noted that they all were holding a Pokéball and that they outnumbered him and Raiden by more than ten to one. Not very good odds.

"Well, now isn't this touching." The first boy said as he looked down at the trio. "I never heard of a Pokémon trainer who refuses to catch Pokémon." He then smiled evilly as he gazed upon Ponyta. "By the way. Thanks for caring for our Ponyta. We'll take him off your hands now."

Ranma snarled as he saw the smug look on his face. He got into a stance and began focusing his ki. Raiden also prepared himself for the coming battle. "I don't think so. This Ponyta was hurt once before by you jerks and I'll be damned if I'll let you hurt him again! You want him? You'll have to beat us first!"

"Pikachu!"

"That can be arranged." He gestured to the other members of his party who were brandishing their Pokéballs. Things looked grim. Fortunately for Ranma, his guardian angel was still watching him and had sent his messenger, a little Pidgey.

Pidgey had been watching Ranma and Raiden in secret for the past few days and now it saw that they were in trouble. From out of the sky, it dived down at the group of boys. The ridge that they were on had large areas that were covered in sand. As it swooped down, it began to furiously flap its wings and let off a series of squawks.

The boys turned around at the sound and were soon hacking and coughing as Pidgey released its Sand Attack. The dust cloud blanketed the group, obscuring their sight and causing many of them to drop their Pokéballs.

Ranma and Raiden were again shocked to have been saved by a Pidgey and were still standing in their stances when Ponyta decided to take the initiative. It wouldn't do for his new trainer to be in such danger. It quickly went under Ranma's legs and began galloping off from the area.

"What the…?" Ranma was totally taken by surprise as he found himself clinging for dear life on top of Ponyta's back. Raiden was also taken off guard and barely managed to hang onto Ranma's pack as the fire-horse sped away at better than 50 mph.

The leader of the group was still coughing and hacking when the dust cloud lifted. When he saw his prize galloping away, he went into a rage.

"I've worked too hard to let him take my Ponyta! Go get him Tauros!"

The boy threw the Pokéball forwards, releasing the buffalo Pokémon, which began chasing after the runaway Ponyta.

A few hundred meters ahead of the rampaging Tauros, Ranma was trying desperately to get Ponyta to stop.

"Whoa! Hold it! Stop Ponyta! Slow down!" Ranma pulled hard on Ponyta's flaming mane, but the fire Pokémon would not stop until he was sure that they were far enough away. Ranma could do nothing but hold on tight. He had never ridden a horse before and it was taking all his strength and balance training to keep from falling off the horse's back. It was then that he heard the sound of something behind them. It sounded like a runaway freight train. When he glanced behind them, his widened at the sight of a Tauros that was bearing down on them. The mean looking Pokémon let off some snorts and had red in its eyes. 

"On second thought, don't slow down! Giddy up! Faster! Faster!"

Ponyta was more than happy to oblige. With a sudden burst of speed, the fire-horse sped ahead of the three-tailed buffalo and pushed harder to outrun it. For a moment it seemed as if they would get away as they began to slowly increase the distance between them. It was then that Raiden saw something bad up ahead.

"Pikachu! Pikachu!"

"Huh?" Ranma looked forward and saw that they were heading toward a wide ravine. The gap was more than a hundred meters across and there was no way for Ponyta to make such a jump, even when they were going at 65 mph. They were less than two hundred and fifty meters from the edge. With a raging Tauros after them, they couldn't stop!

"Ponyta!" Ranma screamed as he shut his eyes and waited for the end.

"Pika!"

It was then that Ponyta started to glow with an intense white light. Ranma opened his eyes when he felt a tingling sensation. Looking down, he saw that Ponyta's form was changing. Its form became larger and hotter. Ranma could feel the increased heat of its living flames but they still did not burn him. He then looked up and saw something emerge from Ponyta's forehead. When the light faded, Ponyta was no more. In his place was his evolved form… Rapidash! The horse was now the size of an Arabian stallion and had a horn on its head, which made it resemble a unicorn. Its living flames burned even more brightly than before as it put on a tremendous burst of speed.

The new form of the fire Pokémon let off a whinny as he began galloping at better than 100 mph, leaving behind a flaming, swirling trail of flames that burned the Tauros. The buffalo Pokémon stumbled and fell to the ground as it was caught in Rapidash's Fire Spin. 

Ranma was still in shock over the sudden evolution when he suddenly found himself soaring though the air.

"Pika!"

Ranma looked down and saw the tiny line on the ground far below that represented a river below. It was then that he realized that Rapidash had jumped! He looked forward and saw the other side of the gorge coming straight at them. With less than a foot to spare, Rapidash landed on the other side and kept on running. They were soon a distant dot that was heading toward the horizon.

Late afternoon…

*RAPIDASH, THE FLAME-HORSE POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PONYTA. RAPIDASH IS THE FASTEST SPRINTER OF ALL GROUND POKÉMON AND IS ABLE TO ACHIEVE TOP SPEEDS OF WELL OVER 100 MPH.*

"Awesome!" Ranma said as he put away his Pokédex. He began stroking Rapidash's flank. The new form of Ponyta let off a contented neigh as it nuzzled Ranma with its head. The horse took care not to Poké him with its new horn. At Ranma's feet, Raiden stood and watched.

Ranma kept on stroking the Pokémon as he considered what to do with it. It was obvious that Ponyta… er, Rapidash wasn't going to leave him alone. It had proven himself to be totally loyal to him and wanted to go with him and Raiden. As Ranma thought about it, he then the flapping of some wings. Looking to one side, he and the Pokémon saw Pidgey land on a large boulder near them.

Ranma smiled as he saw it. "I guess we have you to thank for our escape, and for that time ten days ago."

"Pidge!" The bird squawked as it hopped off the rock and trotted to where Raiden was standing. It then began making a series of chirps and sounds to the electric Pokémon. A minute later, Raiden's eyes widened in surprise. He then glanced up and began gesturing frantically at his trainer.

"Pika! Pikachu! Chu! Pika!"

"What is it Raiden? You know this Pidgey?"

"Pika!" Raiden nodded as he pointed at the Pokéballs on Ranma's belt.

"What are you talking about? I told you before. I'm not going to…" It was at that moment that Ranma realized what his Pikachu was trying to tell him. "Wait a second… are you saying that this Pidgey is the same one that I let go two weeks ago?"

"Pika!" Raiden nodded.

Ranma became even more confused as he stared at the bird. "Hold on! Why would you want to help us? Not that I'm complaining, but still…"

Pidgey nodded to him and gestured with a wing to Rapidash.

Ranma began to consider what Pidgey was trying to tell him. What does Rapidash have to with anything? All I did was care for him. I even tried to set him free and… At that thought, Ranma looked down at the Pidgey with an intense gaze. "Is that the reason why? Because… I'm not forcing you to do anything? You… want to come with us? Is it because I gave you and Rapidash a… choice?"

"Pidge!" The bird hopped up and down happily.

Ranma was amazed. They wanted to be with him. They wanted to be his friends. At the thought of having friends, Ranma couldn't help but feel warm at the prospect. His old training journey with his father had been a long and lonely one. He had never been able to hold onto any friends for long as Genma had forbidden it or taken him away from any chance of forming any attachments. Now, with him not present, Ranma had a chance of finding making true friends. He had already had one in Raiden. Why not make some more? And if they were willing to come with him, then it wouldn't be called slavery, now would it?

Ranma separated himself from the others and stepped back to face them. Reaching behind his belt, he pulled out two Pokéballs and said to the horse and bird. "I really don't like the idea of putting you in Pokéballs, but if you really want to come with me and be my Pokémon, then they'll be times in which I have to use them. Are you sure that you want to be with us?"

Rapidash stomped a hoof and nodded his head in enthusiastic agreement. Pidgey also nodded in agreement.

Ranma took one look at Raiden, who smiled and nodded his head. "Pika. Pika pi!"

Ranma took a deep breath and then activated the two capture devices. "POKÉBALLS…. GO!"

The two Pokémon were instantly placed within the Pokéballs, which then returned to the hands of their new trainer. Ranma looked down at them and then allowed something to happen. He let a tear form in his eye.

A day later…

On a ridge that overlooked Viridian City, a Rapidash and its riders came to a halt. Ranma smiled as he took in the sight of the urban area. A moment after they stopped, a Pidgey came down and landed on his left shoulder. On his backpack, Raiden looked over at the sunset that bathed Viridian in its vibrant colors.

Ranma had given the names of Wildfire for Rapidash and Wind Rider for the Pidgey. As he looked down at Viridian, he began to think of the adventures that they had shared and the ones that were yet to come.

"Wildfire, Wind Rider, Raiden. Are you all ready?"

The three Pokémon nodded as Ranma urged his fiery steed down the slope.

To be continued…

Author's Notes

Well, now that Fist of the Pikachu has joined with the ranks of my regular stories, I would like to hear some comments and suggestions. This chapter has dealt with Ranma's uneasiness as he enters the world of Pokémon trainers. 


	5. Chapter 5: Battle! Ranma’s First Gym Cha...

**Fist of the Pikachu**

_Italic:_ Thoughts  
* *: Pokédex responses

**Chapter Five**

Battle! Ranma's First Gym Challenge

  


"Hey! Look at that!"

"Is that a Ponyta?"

"No, it's a Rapidash!"

"Awesome! I've never seen a Rapidash before!"

"Wow! Check it out!"

"He must be a great Pokémon trainer to be able to train a Rapidash!"

Ranma became very nervous as he rode Wildfire into Viridian City. Crowds began to form around them and little children were running up to try and pet the flame Pokémon. Although he was proud of his new Pokémon, his fire-horse was drawing way too much attention. Even in the Pokémon world, a horse with a fiery mane and tail in an urban population center was about as subtle as a terrorist bombing. Ranma became even more edgy as he saw a motorcycle cop approach them. Wildfire, already nervous at being crowded, reared back slightly as the female officer came to a stop in front of them.

"Whoa! Settle down Wildfire! Easy does it!" Ranma pulled back slightly on the reins while Raiden tightened his grip on the backpack and waited for Wildfire to calm down. At the moment, Wind Rider was in his Pokéball, resting. Though Ranma did not like to use those devices, he knew of their benefits. They did make transporting Pokémon a lot easier and helped them recover from injuries. In any case, with the exception of his Pikachu, his Pokémon didn't really mind them.

When the flame Pokémon calmed down, Ranma looked down at the uniformed cop as she dismounted her motorcycle, which had a sidecar attached to it. She was about his height and had blue hair. She had a very attractive figure and was wearing a skirt-style uniform that resembled the uniform of the French police. Ranma had to admit that she was pretty cute. Then again, Ranma had not seen many girls in his life, either on his training journey with Genma or his travels in this world. She began waving off the crowd and said in firm, commanding tones for them to disperse. When the crowd backed off, she turned to Ranma and his Rapidash.

"Hold it right there buster! You can't just ride that Rapidash into the city. You're going to have to put him in his Pokéball." 

Ranma flinched at the statement. "Uh… well… I'm sorry officer…?"

"Officer Jenny of the Viridian City Police Department. I'm going to have to insist that you put that horse in its Pokéball. Either that, or bring him to the Pokémon center."

"Why? I mean… my Rapidash isn't doing anything wrong, is it?"

"No, but he's going to cause some major traffic problems if you ride him into the city. Besides, the tourist season is really high at this time, even though the Pokémon League competition is over for this year."

_Pokémon League? What's that?_

"Your Rapidash would also be a target for Pokémon robbers." Jenny continued.

"Pokémon robbers?"

"Pika?" Raiden was also intrigued.

"We've been having some reports of Pokémon disappearing from the area and your Rapidash would certainly be on a robber's list. Now are you going to comply, or do I have to take you in for inciting a disturbance?"

The pig-tailed martial artist and Pokémon trainer looked down at the policewoman. Her expression was one of determination, and if there was one thing that Ranma's training trip had taught him, it was not to get involved with the police. Then again, it was usually Genma's fault that they were constantly on the run. 

Ranma sighed as he dismounted and took out a Pokéball. "Sorry about this Wildfire. I'll have you out again as soon as possible."

Wildfire neighed in understanding. It was just as well. The city was too crowded for his taste and all these people made him nervous. He preferred wide-open spaces.

"Wildfire, return!" A slender red beam was emitted from the activator button of the device and caused the Rapidash to be transported into the Pokéball. Ranma replaced the Pokéball back onto his belt and turned to face Officer Jenny. "Now am I free to go?"

"Let's see some identification first."

Ranma nodded as he brought out his Pokédex and opened it up to display the identification the Professor Oak had prepared for him.

*RANMA SOATOME. REGISTERED POKÉMON TRAINER FROM PALLET TOWN. REFER TO PROFESSOR OAK FOR MORE INFORMATION.*

The policewoman nodded as she assessed him. "I figured that you must be a trainer. You're free to go." Officer Jenny went back to her motorcycle. The crowds began to scatter as the people resumed their own lives. It was at that time that Ranma noticed something that was in the sidecar of Jenny's cycle. It popped its head out in the open and it looked like a cross between a dog and a lion. It let off short barks and growls and Ranma took out his Pokédex.

*GROWLITH. A PUPPY POKÉMON OF THE FIRE ELEMENT. IT HAS A PLAYFUL DEMEANOR AND IT PROTECTS ITS TERRITORY BY DRIVING AWAY ENEMIES WITH BARKS AND BITES.*

Officer Jenny looked back at Ranma. "Hey there. Are you here to challenge the gym leader at the new Viridian Gym?"

"New Viridian Gym?" Ranma didn't get it.

Officer Jenny was still under the impression that Ranma knew what she was talking about as she kick-started her motorcycle. "Ever since it was rebuilt and put under a new leader, a lot of Pokémon trainers have been coming here to win an Earth Badge. So far, nobody has been able to come close to giving the gym leader a good battle. Well, good luck and enjoy your visit to Viridian City." The officer smiled as she revved her cycle. 

"Hey, now wait a minute! What are you…?"

Officer Jenny was already down the road and gone before Ranma could finish. Raiden's trainer was standing amid a small cloud of dust that was kicked up with Jenny's departure.

"Pokémon League? Gym leader? Earth Badge? Now what was all that about?"

Raiden sighed as he remembered just how unaware Ranma was with basic rules of Pokémon trainers. He tapped Ranma's shoulder and gestured to one of his pockets. "Pika! Pika pi chu!"

"Huh? You know something about all this Raiden?"

Raiden nodded as he continued to point to the pocket. Ranma looked down then reached into the pocket to pull out a small slip of paper, which had a telephone number on it.

"Professor Oak's number? What are you…?" He then realized what Raiden was trying to tell him. "Oh! I should ask Professor Oak about the Pokémon League, right?"

"Pika!" Raiden replied. It would be far easier to let the scientist tell him, since it would take too long for the electric rodent to try and explain. It was pretty hard to communicate when neither sPoké the same language.

Ranma nodded as he said, "I'll call him as soon as we get to a Pokémon center."

Fortunately for Ranma, he had saved up a sizable amount of money from his time with Professor Oak and had opened up an account. After going to various stores to stock up on supplies, Ranma and his Pikachu arrived at the Viridian City Pokémon center. A few minutes later, he was speaking to Professor Oak on the videophone while his Pokémon were getting a checkup and being refreshed.

"Hi Ranma. It's been a while since I last heard from you. How are you?"

"I'm doing okay Professor. I'm calling from the Viridian City Pokémon center."

"Hmmm. It took you quite a while to get there. My grandson Gary and his rival Ash only took about three or four days to get to Viridian."

"Hey, remember, I'm new here. Besides, I kind of got… sidetracked."

"Oh? Did you catch any Pokémon?"

"Well, you… could say that. Though I don't think 'caught' would be the right word." It was then that an attractive nurse with pink hair done up in two loops behind her head came up to Ranma. "Hold on a second Professor." He turned to the nurse, whose name was Joy (like you didn't know that). "Yes?"

The nurse smiled as she said, "Excuse me. But your Pokémon are now recharged and ready for you."

Ranma nodded as he looked down and saw that she was holding a tray. The two Pokéballs that contained Wind Rider and Wildfire were on it and Raiden was beside Nurse Joy's feet. 

"Pikachu." Raiden waved to his trainer before hopping up to the console of the videophone. He then waved to the image of Professor Oak. "Pika!"

"Hello Raiden." The scientist turned his attention back to Ranma. "So Ranma, is there a reason for this call?"

"Yes." Ranma took the two Pokéballs from Nurse Joy and nodded his thanks. 

"I must say, you are the first trainer to bring in a Rapidash to this center." Nurse Joy commented with a smile. "You must have some special talent to have caught and trained a Pokémon like that."

"Uhhh… I guess you could say that." Ranma was unsure of the compliment. 

When the young Pokémon nurse left, he turned back to Oak.

"Did I hear correctly?" Oak asked in surprise. "You have a Rapidash?"

"Uhhh… yeah." Ranma admitted reluctantly. "I got him a few days ago. He was mostly the reason why it took me so long to get to Viridian City. I also picked up a Pidgey along the way."

"Well, I must say, I'm impressed! You've just started your Pokémon journey and you've already caught a very powerful and rare Pokémon. A Ponyta is hard enough to catch and train, but you have gotten its evolved form. Congratulations!"

"Uh thanks. Anyway, I want to ask you something."

"What would you like to know?"

"Professor, I want to know about what the Pokémon League is all about. Ever since I got here, that's all I've been hearing. Other trainers at the center have been talking about things like gym leaders, badges and stuff like that."

"You don't know? Oh, well of course you don't. You are new to our world. In any case, the Pokémon League is made of the top Pokémon trainers and masters. In order to compete in the Pokémon League, you have to earn eight gym badges and have at least six Pokémon."

Ranma frowned slightly. He had gone through a lot when he had gotten Raiden, Wind Rider and Wildfire. Now he needed three more? "So, how do I earn gym badges?"

"Well, you earn a badge each time you defeat a gym leader's Pokémon. Come to think of it, I recall that Viridian's gym had been rebuilt and is under a new gym leader. If you want to enter next year's League competition, then that would be a good place to start."

"Yeah… I guess so."

"Well, it's been good talking to you Ranma. I have to get back to my work now, so take care. Good luck."

After Ranma hung up, he and Raiden went to sit down on a nearby bench. 

"Well Raiden, what do you think?"

"Pika!" Raiden replied in excitement. It was obvious that he wanted to compete in the Pokémon League. 

Ranma however, wasn't quite as enthusiastic. It seemed that the people of this world relied heavily on their Pokémon. For a martial artist like Ranma, it didn't seem right to let Raiden and the others do the work. Challenging another person to a match and then letting his Pokémon battle for him made him seem lazy. How was he supposed to get any better if he didn't get to challenge anyone? Once again, his doubts about being a Pokémon trainer came back to him.

"Pikachu!"

Ranma looked down at his electric mouse and saw Raiden's determined expression. "You really want to challenge the gyms and go into this Pokémon League, right?"

"Pika!"

Ranma considered his friend, then sighed. Raiden had been patient with him with his reluctance to catch Pokémon. So far, his only battles had been with Wind Rider and that Golem. Ranma had to admit that the electric rodent's skills were impressive and could get better with more challenges. The martial artist was especially proud of how far Raiden had progressed in the last few months. As his sensei, it was his job to train him and all of his other Pokémon to reach their full potential. With that in mind, he nodded to his Pikachu. "Okay. We're going to go get a few more supplies and do some training. I do have to start training Wildfire and Wind Rider as well. After a few days, maybe in a couple of weeks, we'll challenge that gym. That sound good to you?"

"Pikachu!" Raiden smiled and raised a paw in agreement.

A day later…

Wildfire and Ranma were in an open field on the outskirts of Viridian City. Ranma was in a horse stance, while Wildfire observed with fascination as his trainer glowed with a blue aura. On the sidelines, Wind Rider and Raiden watched as well During their trip to Viridian, Ranma had also demonstrated his curse to his new Pokémon and had his Pikachu explain it to them. A nice thing about Pokémon was that despite the different sounds that they made, they all understood each other. After a short while, Wind Rider and Wildfire accepted the fact that Ranma had a partially controllable evolving process. 

"You see Wildfire? This is my ki. What you are seeing is the energy that is made by all living things. When you get control of it, you can use it to boost your physical skills. Watch!"

Ranma made a standing jump to a height of thirty feet and landed on a branch of a tall tree. Wildfire let off a surprised neigh as his eyes widened at the sight. Ranma smiled as he continued with the demonstration. He leapt off the branch, twisted in midair and seemed to hover for a few seconds as he threw several punches and kicks. When gravity took hold of him, he used several trees to rebound off and darted about the area at amazing speed. When he landed on the ground, Ranma focused on nearest tree and delivered a straight kick to it.

To Wildfire's surprise, and to Ranma's, there was a large snapping sound as the thick wood buckled under the force of impact. The tree trunk was more than three feet in diameter. Ranma and his Pokémon stood in awe as the tall tree shuddered and then it came crashing down as if a lumberjack had felled it.

Ranma was in a bit of a shock. _Huh? Now that wasn't supposed to happen!_ He had expected a large chunk of the wood to break off. He had not expected to kick through the entire tree. _I didn't even kick that hard! All I did was use my usual Stonebreaker technique and…_ It was then that Ranma thought back to the months that he had trained with Raiden to control his ki. He had learned to generate his ki as a projectile attack and convert it to electricity. Raiden had learned to do the same as well as increase his agility and voltage output. Then Ranma remembered all the times he sparred with Raiden and realized something.

_Well I'll be damned! All those practice sessions with Raiden must have given me better ki control and increased my physical strength and speed!_ Ranma smiled as he came to a conclusion. _And here I was worried about not getting any practice! Training with my Pokémon WILL help me keep my skills! The better my Pokémon get, the better I'll get! Maybe being a Pokémon trainer isn't all that bad!_ The Rapidash was stomping his feet in excitement while Wind Rider flapped his wings, which caught Ranma's attention. "So you want to learn that stuff?"

The flame horse nodded enthusiastically. It could see the advantages of such training. The Pidgey also wanted to learn. Ranma looked at his Pokémon and started thinking about how he could train them in using their ki to enhance their own abilities. In doing so, he might gain some new attacks as well. _Hmmm, Wind Rider can't learn punches and kicks, but maybe I get him to increase his aerial evasion techniques and those wind attacks of his. Wildfire can kick, and that horn of his could come in handy. His biggest asset is speed and those flame attacks. Maybe I can increase his endurance too. Hmmm… this just might work._

Three days later…

Ranma's Rapidash was blazing along the fields near Viridian City as Ranma watched him from a ridge. In his hand was a stopwatch. When Wildfire passed a large boulder, he clicked the stopwatch and checked Wildfire's time.

_Hmmm. He beat yesterday's time by more than three seconds! Not bad! Looks like those ki-focusing techniques I taught him are working! I would say that his top speed is now about 130 mph!_

Like Raiden and other Pokémon, Wildfire had a subconscious ability to harness and utilize his ki. It was relatively a simple matter for him to draw it forth and use it to not only to form those living flames, but also to boost his physical abilities. Wildfire trotted toward his master and Ranma noticed that the fire-horse had a thin blue aura about it. 

Ranma looked over to the side to see Raiden and Wind Rider sparring. Raiden was leaping about and the Pidgey was doing his best to dodge. The Pikachu would only use gentle taps on his opponent, which the bird would try to avoid. The pig-tailed martial aartist noted that Pidgey was receiving fewer hits than yesterday. Every now and then, he would see a faint blue glow about the flying Pokémon.

A few more days later…

Wind Rider's battle aura glowed more brightly as it dove at Ranma. Ranma moved ever faster as he leapt about and tried a few punches and kicks. After a few minutes, the Pidgey pulled back and began flapping his wings rapidly. Ranma had frequently experienced the gust attack before during these training sessions and thought he could handle them. He was genuinely surprised when the wind hit him with more force than usual. He found himself flying backward and was thrown twenty feet further than what he normally traveled when hit by a gust attack.

Wind Rider flew to his trainer when he landed on his rear on the ground. It landed before him and looked concerned. Ranma shook his head to clear it, then looked at the diminutive bird. He smiled as he assessed Wind Rider's power level. 

A few more days…

Wildfire was surprised to see his trainer running at a fast pace behind him. The flame Pokémon could see Ranma was glowing with a bright blue aura as he was going at about 35 miles per hour. Since this was an exercise in endurance, the Rapidash wasn't going at much more than 50 mph. With a whinny, Wildfire doubled his speed and shot forward.

Ranma saw his Pokémon pull away and tried to increase his speed. His aura began glowing even brighter as he stained to keep the Rapidash in sight. He knew that there was no way he could beat Wildfire in a foot race, but he still strained to achieve greater speeds. He concentrated even harder, trying to get more ki flowing through his limbs. He could feel his body almost overflowing with power. He was so intent on catching up to Wildfire, that he didn't notice that his aura had become more intense and that it was changing color. Suddenly, it flared like a sunburst and Ranma shot forward at better than 65 mph!

Ranma's Rapidash was already waiting at the stopping point near the large boulder with Raiden and Wind Rider. They had not been expecting Ranma to arrive for another few minutes. Imagine their surprise when they saw him shooting toward them like a speeding car. His aura was now a deep crimson and was trailing behind him like… flames?

Ranma couldn't believe that he was traveling so fast but then he saw the finish line. Leaning back, he tried to thrust out his feet to slow down. However, as he was unused to traveling so fast, he stumbled forward. Instinctively powering up his aura to deaden the impact, Ranma curled in his body to roll with the fall. His body hit the ground and bounced a couple of times before he was able to skid to a halt. The Pokémon had to dive for cover as he kicked up a lot of dirt and plowed a trench into the countryside. 

When the dust clouds settled down, Raiden and the others slowly moved forward. There, in a deep ditch was their trainer, who was sprawled on his back and had several deep cuts and bruises. His aura had become a thin blue halo and Ranma looked totally exhausted.

"Pikachu?"

Ranma looked toward his electric rodent and gave him a weak smile. "Okay. So… I need to get better brakes."

A week later…

Ranma nodded as Wind Rider stood in front of the large boulder. The Pidgey took off and then began flapping his wings furiously. He began circling the boulder, creating a cyclone of wind. The air current began buffeting the rock. Slowly, but surely, the Pidgey's Whirlwind began to pick the mass of granite off the ground. The other Pokémon and their trainer smiled as Wind Rider redoubled his efforts and began beating his wings even faster. Soon, the massive rock was at least three feet off the ground. It was then that Ranma saw that the surface was starting to show cracks and fissures. He looked up and saw that Wind Rider was glowing a bright blue. It was then that they all heard a loud sound and they looked up to see a large crack appearing near the center of the boulder. Several smaller cracks showed up in spider web patterns as Wind Rider increased the air pressure. The rock shook and trembled and fragments of it started falling to the ground.

"Get back!" Ranma cried as he held out an arm to push his Pokémon back.

It was at that moment that the Pidgey let off a wail as the air currents caused the boulder to explode. The shards of rock crumbled before them and landed in a heap of rubble, causing a large dust cloud to appear. Raiden and Wildfire were amazed while Ranma felt a surge of pride in his bird.

Wind Rider fell to the ground totally exhausted from his effort. Ranma raced forward and caught him before he hit the soil and cradled the bird in his arms. Its aura faded away as the Pidgey gasped for air. It took a few minutes before his breathing returned to normal. Ranma looked at the pile of rock that was once a one-ton boulder, then smiled down at his Pidgey.

"Way to go Windy!"

The Pidgey looked up at his trainer and gave him a weak, but happy chirp. Then suddenly, it happened. 

Ranma was just kneeling down to set his Pidgey on the ground and check on his health, when the bird suddenly began glowing with an intense white light. Ranma almost dropped Wind Rider as the flying Pokémon began squirming and tried to spread its wings. The pig-tailed martial artist's eyes opened wide as he realized what was going on.

_Wind Rider's evolving!_ The bird suddenly jumped out of his arms and landed on its feet. It then spread its wings and let off a squawk.

"PIDGOOOOOOO!"

The bird suddenly increased to more than four times his size and took on a more robust form. When the light faded, Wind Rider the Pidgey was replaced by Wind Rider the Pidgeotto. 

Ranma whistled as he admired the new colors of the tail feathers and crest plumage. The Pidgeotto was also glowing with renewed energy as it powered up its battle aura. He then took off and made a series of loops, dives and turns, testing out its new form. He saw a large tree nearby and then swept his wings forward. His battle aura flared and to the amazement of all those present, the wings released a huge, concentrated blast of air that slammed into the tree and caused it to topple over. Unlike his usual gust attack, the air was focused like a solid object and struck like a battering ram.

_Wow! Wind Rider can now fire off compressed air blasts instead of just flapping his wings to create high-speed winds! Looks like he's learned to use his ki in a more efficient manner! Cool! Maybe I can learn that too!_ "Pika…" Raiden was also impressed as was Wildfire.

Ranma gestured to his Pokémon and waved to him. Pidgeotto saw him and swooped down to land beside Ranma. He leaned forward and nuzzled his trainer.

*PIGEOTTO. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIDGEY. IT HAS A FIERCER PERSONALITY THAN THE PIDGEY'S AND ITS GUST ATTACK IS ESPECIALLY STRONG.*

"I don't doubt that." Ranma commented as he put away his Pokédex. 

"Pidgooo!"

Several more days later…

Ranma continued training his Pokémon as well as building his own skills. Wildfire was eventually able to achieve speeds of over 180 mph, developed some new ki-based attacks and had built up a resistance to the effects of water. Ranma had thought to build up Wildfire's defense against water-type Pokémon and because of his curse. Despite the fact that that Water Stone he wore negated the effect of moisture temperature, Ranma still found it odd that water would always find him. He had been through several gender changes before he had gotten the pendant, and it wouldn't do for that to happen frequently unless his fire Pokémon could adapt. 

He had also learned to harness his new running technique and called it the Rapidash Run. Although he couldn't match Wildfire's overall running speed, he could still achieve short bursts of speed of up to 70 mph. He made a note not to use it too often as it quickly tired him out. He had learned that he could manipulate his ki to resemble the living flame of his fire-horse, which added to the power of his kicks and punches.

Yet another couple of days…

"Do that again Windy."

The Pidgeotto nodded as he began focusing his ki and spread his wings. The bird then brought his wings down in a swooping motion and Ranma could heard the brief sound of air being sucked in before it blasted forward and struck another large boulder.

**THOOM!!!**

The blast of high-pressure air sent the boulder flying off the ground. The huge mass of granite was pushed back at least twenty feet before it settled down on the ground. Ranma noted that there was a large hole in the face of the rock that was more than a foot in diameter and three feet deep! Cracks began to appear from the hole and larger pieces of the rock fell away.

Ranma whistled in appreciation over Wind Rider's new attack. Raising his arms above him like wings, he began focusing his own ki. After gathering his energies, he brought his arms down in the same manner as his Pokémon had done. However, the only wind current he could generate was a faint breeze.

Ranma sighed as he raised his arms to try again. _This is going to take a while._

Seventeen days since they had started training…

Ranma was eventually able to learn how his new Pigeotto was able to generate the blasts of compressed air and called it his Wind Cannon technique. He wasn't able to generate as much force as his Pidgeotto, but he could still cause some serious damage with it. Wind Rider eventually learned several new fighting maneuvers and his normal attacks had gotten stronger.

Raiden had developed some new electric and speed attacks, which he shared with Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist had become very pleased at how much he and his companions had progressed. When it was more than two and half weeks since they arrived, the trainer and his Pokémon were ready to face off against the gym leader of Viridian City.

  
Meanwhile, in a secret office somewhere in the world, Giovanni, the leader of the terrorist organization Team Rocket, was petting his Persian when he got a call on his communications console. He was still brooding over the destruction of Team Rocket's main headquarters and the continuous bumbling of Jesse, James and Meowth. He was especially upset over the loss of his most prized Pokémon, Mewtwo.

A flunky appeared on the screen and said, "Sir. For the last few days, we've been detecting some strange power readings coming from the outskirts of Viridian City."

"Is it Mewtwo?" Giovanni asked. He had set up several energy-tracking stations to monitor for any signs of his missing secret weapon.

The flunky shook his head. "No sir. The readings we're getting aren't anything like Mewtwo's psychic energies. They seemed to be more along the lines of fighting-type Pokémon. They're very powerful though. And we're also detecting some other strange emanations that we can't identify."

"Hmm. You say that it's near Viridian City?"

"Yes sir. Shall I contact Jessie and James to investigate?"

"No, I don't want those two idiots! After that Mega-Transporter Pokéball fiasco and the way they bungled stealing the blueprints at Professor Oak's laboratory, I don't need any more failures!"

"Then who should we send?"

"Contact Butch and Cassidy. Unlike Jesse and James, those two have a better record for success. They're in Viridian right now, stealing some Pokémon for me. Have them stake out the new gym and its leader. Ever since we sold the property rights to Sam Ryker, that gym has been especially busy. If those sources of energy have anything to do with Pokémon, then that is where it will most likely turn up. If there are any new kinds of powerful Pokémon in the area, I want them. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

  
Back in Viridian City at the front of the Pokémon gym, Ranma took a deep breath and looked down at his Pikachu. Wildfire and Wind Rider were in their Pokéballs. He had learned from the locals that the gym leader's name was Sam Ryker.

"You ready to get that Earth Badge?"

"Pikachu!" Raiden responded as he and Ranma walked up the stairs to the front doors of the gym. The building was about the size of a high school gymnasium and had a large sign above the doors, which read Viridian City Pokémon Gym in bold letters. In smaller letters, was the message that it was under new management.

Ranma nodded as he knocked on the door. A moment later, the doors automatically opened to allow them inside.

Hidden behind some hedges on one side of the gym, two members of Team Rocket watched as a trainer and his Pikachu entered the building.

"Looks like another trainer is going to go up against that new gym leader." Butch commented.

Cassidy nodded as she motioned for her partner to follow her. At their feet, their Raticate trotted alongside. "Remember what the boss told us. We're to check out all Pokémon trainers and see if any of their Pokémon are worth stealing."

"I still say we should steal the gym leader's Pokémon too."

"Don't be stupid like those dopes, James and Jessie!" Cassidy chided. "We've already got the police looking for us. If we steal the city gym leader's Pokémon, then we'll draw even more attention to ourselves. Besides, there have been rumors that a trainer had entered the city on a Rapidash. That is one Pokémon that the boss would love to have!"

Butch nodded as he and his partner found a window that gave them a good view of the battle area of the gym. They settled down into comfortable positions to watch the upcoming battle.

Inside the gym, Ranma and Raiden entered a large space, which resembled a basketball court. In the center, a line was drawn to separate the two halves of the battle area and a large circle in the center that was in the image of a Pokéball. The area was dimly lit and Ranma had his senses on alert for any surprises. It was then that the main lights turned on and the place was lit up like a stadium.

"Hello?"

Ranma and his Pikachu turned to see a young girl and a man stand on the opposite end of the field. The girl was about Ranma's age, was about an inch shorter than Ranma and had blue hair done up in a long ponytail that was waist-length. She had green eyes and a confident expression on her face. She was dressed in a white T-shirt, blue jeans and hi-tops. She had a bit of a tomboyish look about her, but Ranma couldn't help but notice that she was pretty cute. Her figure was slender and Ranma could tell that she exercised regularly.

The man beside her looked to be around his mid-forties and Ranma easily noticed the resemblance between the two and assumed that the man was the girl's father. He was dressed similarly to the girl's attire and was built like a football player. 

"Excuse me." Ranma said as he and Raiden approached the two. Ranma looked directly at the older man, assuming that he was the gym leader. "I'm looking to challenge the gym leader Sam Ryker? Are you him?"

The man shook his head and said, "Nope. My name's Joe Ryker. I'm not the gym leader. I retired from being a Pokémon gym leader a while back. What you want is my kid, Sam."

"Okay, so where is he?"

The girl crossed her arms and looked up and down Ranma, assessing him. She then gave off a 'hmpf' and turned to her father. "This guy's just a beginner, Dad. He wouldn't be much of a challenge."

Ranma felt as if he had been slapped at the comment. He turned to the girl and said, "What... did you just say?"

"Pika." Raiden also didn't like the way she was addressing his sensei.

The girl smirked and said with a slight sneer, "I said that you wouldn't be much of a challenge. You're just a beginner."

"What makes you such an expert?" Ranma said with a bit of annoyance at her comments.

The girl's smirked as she replied, "I noticed that you only have two Pokéballs on your belt that are filled. Now counting that Pikachu down there, that only totals up to three."

"So?"

"How long have you been a trainer?"

"Uh… about a month. Maybe a little more."

The girl gave a short laugh and said, "A whole month and all you got are three Pokémon? Even a novice would already have the required six Pokémon by that time. And just how many Pokémon battles against other trainers have you been in?"

Ranma became a little embarrassed as he admitted, "Uhhhh… one."

The girl giggled some more as she said, "And you expect to challenge a gym leader after only one battle? That is so funny!" The girl burst out in a fit of laughter, which did nothing to make Ranma or Raiden feel any better. In fact, the Pikachu was charging up his cheek pouches with the intent of shocking the girl for her insults. Ranma shook his head and waved for Raiden to power down. A moment later, the electric rodent complied.

The girl's father shook his head at his child's insensitivity. "Now you be quiet! If this boy wants to battle for an Earth Badge, then I say we should let him! All gym leaders must accept any challenge at any time!"

The girl nodded as she calmed down and said, "All right. This shouldn't take too long. I'd say that he'd lose in one minute! Heck, if he let's his Pikachu run free then he must be even worse than I thought. That electric rodent probably isn't even at level twelve. He'll probably lose quicker than that guy who brought his own cheering section with him."

"Pretty sure that I won't win, huh? Well, let's battle! And after I defeat you, then I'll beat the gym leader too!" Ranma was mad. 

Raiden was steamed. "Pikachu!"

"Oh, where are out manners? My girl totally forgot to introduce herself." Joe said as he gestured to his daughter. "Meet my daughter and gym leader of Viridian City, Samantha."

"Call me Sam." The girl said with a smirk.

Ranma's eyes widened as he heard this. "Y-Y-You're the gym leader? But… y-y-you're a girl!"

"Yeah. So what? You afraid that you'll get beaten by a girl?"

Ranma's mouth became a firm line as he clenched his fists. Now even though he was taught that he shouldn't fight girls, he REALLY wanted to put this arrogant female in her place. She was far too cocky for his taste, which reminded him of himself when he was training with his father. Receiving the girl curse, going on his own in this world and training his Pokémon had mellowed out that character trait somewhat, but he still had his pride. Now this person was insulting him and his friend. As Ranma thought about it, a Pokémon battle might be just the thing to shut this girl up. He could beat her without having to physically fight her, and satisfy his qualms against hitting girls. The look on her face when he beat her Pokémon would be good enough. _I'll show her who's the better trainer!_

"Let's battle." Ranma growled.

Ranma and Sam were soon facing each other off at either sides of the arena. On the sidelines, Sam's father watched. Unlike his daughter, Samantha's father knew the value of never underestimating one's opponent. His long years as a veteran Pokémon trainer gave him the experience to assess his opponents and their Pokémon. _Hmmm, I think there's more to this boy than meets the eye. Why would he challenge a gym leader after only one battle? Sam is good and she hasn't lost yet, but I have a feeling that all that's going to change._

"We'll have a three on three battle. Is that all right with you?"

"Fine! Let's get it on!" Ranma gestured to Raiden to move up. The electric mouse hopped forward and waited.

Sam gave off a short laugh as she threw out her first Pokémon. "Let's see if your electric rodent can handle this! Go Flareon!"

The Pokéball opened up and released the fiery, evolved form of an Eevee.

"Flareon!" The red and yellow Pokémon stood at the ready for its trainer to give its orders.

*FLAREON. ONE OF THE THREE EVOLVED FORMS OF EEVEE. USING A FIRE STONE WILL CAUSE EVEE TO BECOME A FLAME-TYPE POKÉMON WHOSE INTERNAL FIRE SAC CAN RELEASE FLAMES OF UP TO 1000 OC.*

Ranma smiled a bit. Raiden had some experience with flame-type Pokémon since he had him train with Wildfire. Signaling to his Pikachu to let his opponent make the first move, Ranma watched as Sam gave her Flareon the order to attack.

"FIRE SPIN!"

The fox-like Pokémon opened up its mouth and let loose with a searing blast of flames that looped and spiraled toward Raiden. As the fiery streams came at the electric rodent, Sam noticed that the Pikachu was taking a fighting stance and saw a faint blue glow surrounding it. Then it happened.

"LIGHTNING TACKLE ATTACK!"

"Pika!"

The blue aura suddenly changed to a bright, yellow-white color and then crackled. Raiden then darted forward and his body was enveloped in electrical energies. He moved so fast that the naked eye could only discern a darting bolt of lightning as it made a zigzag path across the ground, effortlessly dodging the tongues of fire. In under a nanosecond, Raiden had crossed the distance between his opponent, just as the Flareon was starting to close its mouth. The energized Pikachu slammed into the Flareon's side, feet first, knocking the wind (and fire) out of it and sent it flying.

"Flare!" Sam gasped in disbelief as her Pokémon was sent tumbling to the ground. When it finally came to a stop, it let off a pathetic moan before it lapsed into unconsciousness. She then looked up in a state of shock as Raiden gave his defeated opponent a polite bow before returning to his master.

"Return Flareon!" Sam held out the Pokéball and recalled her Pokémon. After it had been transported back into the device, she then regarded Ranma and his Pikachu with a bit more wariness. "H-H-How did it do that?"

Ranma shrugged and tried to act innocent as he said, "Beginner's luck?"

  


On the outside of the gym, Butch and Cassidy were more than astonished at Raiden's method of attack.

"I don't ever remember a Pikachu being able to do that." Butch said as he and his partner watched the match.

"Hmmm, the boss did say that there were some strange energies in the area. That Pikachu may just be what we're looking for." Cassidy commented.

  


Sam was more than irritated at the Ranma's smirk and attitude as she brought out another Pokéball. "I don't know how that Pikachu did that, but let's see if you can handle this!"

"Okay." Ranma said nonchalantly.

"Go Venomoth!"

The Pokéball opened up and released the moth Pokémon. The moth flapped its wings as it hovered before Raiden.

Ranma nodded as he brought out his Pokédex.

*VENOMOTH, THE EVOLVED FORM OF VENONAT. TINY SCALES ON ITS WINGS PRODUCED VARIOUS SPORES WHEN THEY ARE FLAPPED.*

Sam smiled as she said, "Let's see if your Pikachu can handle this one!"

Ranma was about to say that it didn't matter to Raiden, but then decided on a different approach. He took out another Pokéball and motioned for Raiden to pull back.

"Pika!" Raiden didn't want to pull out. It was just getting warmed up!

Ranma shook his head. "Now, Raiden, I know that you can handle it, but you have to let the others have a chance too."

Raiden nodded as he realized that he was hogging all the fun. He scampered to his master's side and waited as Ranma let loose with the Pokéball. "Let's go Wind Rider!"

The Pokéball opened up to reveal Ranma's new Pidgeotto.

"Pidgooo!"

Sam gave a short laugh. A Pidgeotto didn't have a chance against the spore attacks of her Venomoth. "VENOMOTH, STUN SPORE!"

Ranma commanded his Pidgeotto in one of its newest attacks. "WINDY! CYCLONE SPIN ATTACK!"

The Pidgeotto shot forward toward the cloud of noxious spores. Sam thought that Ranma had lost his mind. She had expected the bird to counter with a gust or whirlwind, but instead, Wind Rider closed in his wings and feet and started spinning like a drill. His ki glowed as he formed an envelope of air around him. The spores were unable to penetrate the barrier and were pulled behind him in his jet wash.

Venomoth was completely caught off guard at the unexpected attack and it made no move to dodge as Ranma's Pidgeotto plowed into it.

**WHAM!**

Sam's Pokémon was put into a daze as it fluttered to the ground. It landed on its back and was still stunned when Wind Rider made a low swoop over it and let the cloud of stun spores do its job. Venomoth was rendered temporarily helpless as its own spores were used against it.

Wind Rider flew up high and then focused his ki again.

"WINDY! USE YOUR WIND CANNON!"

"Pidgooo!"

The bird's battle aura flared and then released a blast of compressed air at his downed opponent. The blast was on target and the Venomoth never had a chance.

**BOOM!** When the dust and debris from the impact cleared, which also scattered the cloud of stun spores, Venomoth was embedded in the floor of the gym and was clearly in no shape to battle.

"Veno… moth."

"I… don't… believe it! H-H-How… did… you?" Sam was trembling as she stared at her downed Pokémon.

Ranma smirked as he said, "Well, why ask me? You're the gym leader. I'm just the beginner, right?"

  


On the outside of the gym, Cassidy and Butch's eyes were now the size of saucers. (The flying kind).

"No way!" Cassidy exclaimed. "Now I know that's not possible!"

"That was… cool!" Butch said in awe. "The boss would love to have that Pokémon!"

"I'm more interested in how that trainer had been able to teach his Pokémon to do those attacks!" Cassidy looked over Ranma's lean and muscled form with an appreciative eye.

  


Sam was more than unsettled at her opponent's Pokémon and decided to pull out all the stops. Recalling her Venomoth, she took out her third Pokéball and said, "I got to admit, you're pretty good for a novice…" Sam fought hard to control the uneasiness in her voice.

Ranma's smirk became even more pronounced as he recalled Wind Rider and brought out his last Pokéball. "You ain't seen nothing yet! Go Wildfire!"

The Pokéball landed on the gym floor to release the flame horse.

  


On the outside of the building…

"It's him! That must be the same guy who rode in on a Rapidash!" Cassidy exclaimed.

  


Sam smirked as she said, "That's a mighty fine fire Pokémon you got there. Too bad its no match for my Blastoise!" She threw her Pokéball forward and released the huge, final evolution of a Squirtle.

Wildfire neighed and backed off a bit at the sight of the Blastoise. His memories of the last encounter with such a Pokémon were not good ones.

Ranma nodded in understanding as he saw how uneasy Wildfire was. He remembered how close his Pokémon had come to dying when it was a Ponyta. However, it was against the rules to pull his Pokémon back. Taking out his Pokédex, he pointed it to the Blastoise.

*BLASTOISE, THE EVOLVED FORM OF WARTORTLE. ITS POWER RELIES ON ITS STRENGTH, RATHER THAN ITS SPEED. ITS SHELL CONTAINS TWO WATER CANNONS WHICH CAN RELEASE HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF WATER IN A SECOND, MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL OF ALL WATER-TYPE POKÉMON.*

Ranma knew that Wildfire had developed some better resistance to water since he started training him and his main asset was speed. He then called out to his Rapidash. "Wildfire, calm down and keep focused! You can beat it! I know you can!"

Wildfire looked back and saw the look of encouragement from his trainer. He nodded his head and turned to face off against his opponent. 

Sam was smiling again after seeing Wildfire's reluctance to fight her Blastoise. "BLASTOISE! HYDRO PUMP NOW!"

"Blastoise!" The water cannons on its back swiveled and aimed toward the Rapidash. It then let loose twin torrents of water.

Wildfire reacted in an instant and dodged the attacks. He then began galloping around the huge turtle at high speeds. His fiery mane and tail began to glow even brighter as Blastoise continued to shoot at the Rapidash. The streams of water were just barely nicking at the edges of the flames, causing steam to appear. Wildfire winced a bit, but ignored the pain as he began increasing his speed.

Ranma nodded, as he knew what his horse was doing. As he gained even more speed, Ranma shouted out his command.

"WILDFIRE! SUPER FIRE SPIN! NOW!"

Wildfire neighed as his living flames blazed like a solar flare and he sped forward. He became blur to all those watching as he circled his opponent and created a huge circle of fire. The ring then expanded to become a towering column of flames that went up toward the roof of the gym. They exploded through and caused debris to fall everywhere. The trainers had to back away to avoid getting hit from the falling rafters and such.

Inside the column, Blastoise was sweating profusely as the intense heat started to get to him. He had experienced the flames of a Charizard before, but this was far hotter than he was used to. It ceased firing its water cannons as the steam from the attacks was forming a scalding mist. In less than a minute, Blastoise was forced to retract into its shell to escape from the flames.

Ranma noticed Blastoise retreating into its protective shell, and motioned for Wildfire to cease. The fire horse stopped in his run and stood ready to face off against his opponent. The fires it had caused began to die down. Fortunately, the building was mostly made of concrete and very little of it caught on fire. Although the floor did have many blackened areas. Wildfire began focusing his ki to prepare for the final assault.

Blastoise's shell was covered in scorch marks and was smoking. Sam was more than shocked to see just how easily the Rapidash had created such a huge fiery attack. Her father was also amazed.

As soon as Blastoise popped his limbs and head out of its shell, Ranma gave the final order.

"WILDFIRE! BLAZING HORN CHARGE!"

The Rapidash glowed with a blue light, then burst forward in a run with his horn pointed directly at the weakened Blastoise. The horn began to glow even brighter as Wildfire used his ki to harden it to that of diamond. His flames trailed behind it and surrounded his body like a sun's corona. He left blazing trails behind him as he charged at his opponent at breakneck speed. His form resembled that of a blazing meteor. 

With her Pokémon just barely standing, Sam knew that Blastoise was in no condition to fend off such an attack and shouted out, "STOP! PLEASE! YOU WIN!"

Ranma then shouted out, "WILDFIRE! HALT!"

The Rapidash pulled back and began applying its feet to slow down. His flames burned even more brightly as it began to decelerate. When he finally stopped, he looked up and saw that his horn was about a foot away from Blastoise, who was trembling a bit at the sight. The flames lost their ultra brilliance and returned to their normal brightness.

"Blastoise, return!" Wildfire trotted back to his trainer, who gave him an affectionate pat on the flank.

"Good job, Wildfire." Ranma then smiled triumphantly at his defeated opponent and said, "Well, I guess this lowly beginner has just earned himself a badge!" His smile then faded as he saw Sam standing there with her hands at her side and her eyes full of… tears?

Sam was trying desperately to keep from crying, but she couldn't hold it back. With a loud cry, she bolted from the area with her face in her hands.

"Sam!" Her father began running after her, leaving Ranma and his Pokémon standing in confusion.

"Huh?" The heir to the Saotome name was a bit confused at this turn of events. He didn't know why his opponent was suddenly crying. But then again, he was a Saotome, and his ability to be absolutely clueless where females were concerned was the same as his father's. Fortunately, his compassion was better than Genma's and he really hated to see a girl cry. He began racing after the father and his daughter, closely followed by his Pokémon. 

  


From their observation point, Butch and Cassidy had seen enough.

"Whoa! Now that's what I call some really powerful Pokémon!" Butch commented as he and Cassidy watched Ranma and his Pokémon race after Sam and her father. "Should we try and nab them?"

Cassidy shook her head and replied, "No, I think it would be better to report to the boss about all this. We should also keep tailing that guy and find out more about him."

"Why don't we just swipe his Pokémon?"

"Use your head Butch! If that guy can train his Pokémon to be that powerful, then think of what he could do for Team Rocket's!"

Butch considered it for a moment, then smiled. "Hey… yeah! Why swipe the students when you can have the teacher? Team Rocket could really blast off if we had him for a member!"

Cassidy nodded as she had an image of Ranma in a Team Rocket uniform. All those rippling muscles and those beautiful blue eyes. Cassidy's eyes started to glaze over, but she was then jolted back to reality as Butch nudged her to follow him. She quickly smothered her emotions for the moment and joined her partner in crime.

To be continued…

Author's Notes

Well, that takes care of chapter 5. For those of you who are wondering that Sam should have been using Rock Pokémon because of the Earth Badge, I do recall that Giovanni had used Psychic and Water types in the anime and he was the gym leader of Viridian. Ranma may soon be getting a traveling buddy, as Sam will want to learn how he had trained his Pokémon. As for Team Rocket, we'll be seeing more of Butch and Cassidy, as well as Jessie and James. For those of you who wish for Ranma to meet up with Ash and his friends, well it'll be a while. 


	6. Chapter 6: Prepare for Trouble!

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Ranma ½ and Pokémon belong to their respective owners. I just put them together for fun.

_Italic:_ Thoughts  
* *: Pokédex responses

**Chapter 6**

Prepare for Trouble!

  


Ranma sighed as he continued to search for Samantha Ryker. Beside him, Raiden was riding on Wildfire while Wind Rider flew overhead. The gym leader had left in tears after Ranma's Pokémon had trounced hers. The pigtailed martial artist turned Pokémon trainer had started to feel bad as he continued to think about the match they had. Maybe it wasn't nice of him to have ridiculed her like that but she did insult his abilities. He had thought that beating her Pokémon would have made her shut up, not burst into tears.

As he thought about it, the gym leader was a lot like he was. Both of them took pride in their skills and didn't like to lose. _I guess the new moves that I taught Raiden and the others must have been a real shock to her. Even though I am a beginner at being a Pokémon trainer, I suppose that it would have been humiliating for someone of Sam's experience to lose to a guy who hasn't been handling Pokémon all that long._ Ranma sighed again as he continued to look around for his defeated opponent. Throughout his journeys, he had discovered that he really couldn't stand to see a girl cry. Seeing a female shedding tears always made him uneasy and he had decided to make amends before moving on. 

  


In a small ice cream shop a few blocks away, Sam Ryker had long since stopped her crying and was currently drowning her sorrows in her second chocolate sundae.

"I thought I'd find you here. You always came here whenever something upset you."

Sam looked up with reddened eyes to see her father approaching her. The former gym leader took a stool beside his daughter. 

"Dad, I… want to be left alone right now."

"I don't think so." Joe Ryker motioned to a server to bring him a cup of coffee. "I think that it would be better if you and I talk about what happened today."

Sam fought back her tears as she said, "What's there to talk about? I lost a match!"

Joe patted his daughter's shoulder and said in a soothing voice, "Everyone loses sometimes. It's all part of the learning experience."

"But Dad, I lost to a beginner! After all those battles against trainers who have had at least six or seven badges, I couldn't beat a guy who has only fought once."

Joe shook his head and said, "Sam, I love you dearly, but I think you're being too hard on yourself. After seeing that battle, I suspect that trainer lied to you about being a beginner to make you underestimate him. No one can be THAT good and still be a novice."

"You think so?" Sam said, her face brightening up a bit.

It was then that they heard a voice from behind them. "Actually, I was telling you the truth. Technically speaking, I am a beginner."

Both father and daughter turned and saw Ranma standing near the doorway with his Pikachu riding on his shoulder. He had recalled his other Pokémon, as the store wouldn't let him go in with a Rapidash and a Pidgeotto. Besides, the door was too narrow to let a full-sized horse enter.

Sam's expression became a bit hostile as she gazed at Ranma. "So, are you here to gloat?"

Ranma shrugged as he said, "Nah. I'm just here to see if you're all right. I felt pretty bad about our match and I wanted to apologize. I also wanted to explain a few things about my Pokémon and me."

Raiden nodded. "Pikachu."

Joe looked at Ranma's expression and assessed it. Finding only sincerity and concern in him, he nodded and gestured to a stool beside him. As Ranma sat down, Sam's father began questioning him while his daughter watched Ranma with wariness and a bit of fascination. "So you really are a beginner? After seeing that battle and all those powerful attacks, I would have thought that you were some kind of expert and have at least eight badges by now."

Ranma shook his head as he took out his Pokédex. He opened it up and showed him the registration date in which he received his trainer's license. "I just started about a month ago and I only got three Pokémon. As for matches, we've only gone up against one guy with a Golem. We beat him of course."

"Which Pokémon did you use?" Sam asked.

"My Pikachu."

"You BEAT a Golem with a Pikachu?!" 

Raiden smiled and held up a paw. "Pika!"

"B-But… electric Pokémon are weak against rock-types!"

Raiden's trainer shrugged as he replied, "Yeah, that's what that jerk said too." He smirked. "Just before Raiden here pounded the living daylights out of his Golem." Ranma chuckled at the memory. The look on that boy's face was priceless.

"B-B-But… how?!"

"I'm a martial artist."

"Martial artist? What's that got to do with anything?"

Ranma smiled with pride as he said, "I just remembered, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. You've already met Raiden, Wildfire and Wind Rider."

"Anything Goes?" Joe asked. "I've heard of Karate, Kung Fu and stuff like that, but that's a new one on me."

Ranma nodded. "It's a fighting style which can combine all aspects of other disciplines into a free-style form of combat. Before I became a Pokémon trainer, I had already spent more than a decade training to be a martial artist. I can tell you that I'm pretty good." Ranma beamed for a moment before continuing on. "Before starting on my Pokémon journey, I spent a few weeks working with Professor Oak in Pallet Town. I learned a lot about the many attacks of different Pokémon. I happen to know some techniques that can allow a person, or Pokémon to tap into their own hidden potential. What you just saw today was a small sample of weeks of training my Pokémon in my fighting style. I figured, why stop at training them in the usual attacks? I mean, there's nothing in the rules saying that they couldn't do that, is there?"

Joe and Sam thought about it for a few moments before nodding. It was true. They could see the advantages in teaching the Pokémon in new, unexpected attacks. That would give Ranma's Pokémon a critical edge in battle.

Ranma continued. "I also picked up a few skills from my Pokémon as well and we've learned to work very well together."

"Wow." Sam hated to admit it, but she was impressed. If what she saw today was only a small sample of what he and his Pokémon were capable of, then Ranma may well be a better trainer than most masters were, despite his newness to the world of Pokémon. "So how do you do it?"

Ranma smirked as he said, "Now I can't be giving away all my secrets, now can I?"

Sam pouted a bit, then sighed. "I guess not."

The pigtailed martial artist nodded as he stood up and said, "Well, it was nice meeting you both and I hope everything will be all right with you."

Joe smiled as he patted his daughter's shoulder and said, "Don't worry. My Sam is a survivor. This whole thing has taught her not to underestimate her opponents. She'll be more ready the next time, right Sam?'

"You bet Dad! I'll be giving you a better battle the next time, Ranma!"

Ranma smiled as he said, "I'll be looking forward to it. Oh, by the way, I believe you owe me something."

Joe reached into a shirt pocket and withdrew a small item. He then handed Ranma the coveted Earth Badge of the Viridian Gym. "In recognition of your victory, we present you with this Earth Badge."

Raiden leaned over a bit to look at the badge in his trainer's hand. The Earth Badge was made of a shiny, emerald-colored metal and was in the shape of a leaf.

"Pika…"

Nodding to Joe and Sam, Ranma pocketed the badge and he and his Pikachu left the shop. 

  


Later that day…

Giovanni was more than interested as he listened to the report being given to him by Butch and Cassidy. As he spoke to the communications screen on his desk, his eyes had that devious glint to them. "What you're telling me is quite… unbelievable, to say the least. Are you sure that you're not just pulling my leg?"

"No boss!" Butch said quickly. "That new trainer beat the pants off the Viridian gym leader! It was like her Pokémon were nothing!"

"Do you have any proof of what you are telling me?"

Cassidy nodded. "You do remember that before we sold the property to the Ryker family, we set up several hidden surveillance cameras to keep track of any powerful Pokémon that came to challenge Joe Ryker's daughter. I believe that they caught the battle on tape."

Giovanni nodded as he pressed a switch on his control console and had the visuals of the battle sent to another viewing screen. He began watching Ranma's Pokémon as they battled with Sam's. Well, 'battle' was not an appropriate word. It was a one-sided match and the supreme leader of Team Rocket was more than astonished as he saw Raiden, Wind Rider and Wildfire in action. He was especially impressed with how easily the Rapidash defeated a strong water-type Pokémon, despite the fact that it was supposed to be weak against opponents such as Blastoise. The built-in energy sensors of the cameras also measured the power levels of each. The readings were far higher than normal and the cameras had also picked up the same unusual energy readings that had been detected earlier. They were mostly coming from Ranma. When the visuals ended, Giovanni was well convinced to give Jesse and James' counterparts their new orders.

"Listen up you two. Whoever this new trainer is, I want both him and his Pokémon. He would certainly be an asset to Team Rocket. Get him any way you can, but bring him to me, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

  


Sometime that evening…

In a small diner near the warehouse district, Ranma was eating his dinner with his Pikachu before deciding on where to go next. In front of them was a road map, which had all the locations of the nearest towns and cities.

"So where do you think we should go next?" Ranma asked as he munched on his meal. Beside him on the table, his Pikachu was devouring his own dinner. 

"Pikachu!" Raiden pointed to a spot on the map.

The trainer looked down at the area. "Pewter City?" Ranma then read about the town. "Specializes in rock-type Pokémon. Hey, they even have a gym there."

"Pika!"

"Looks like it's about a couple of days walk from here." _Or half a day's ride if we took Wildfire._ After the battle at the Viridian gym, Ranma had become a little more confident about his skills as a trainer and Pewter City was as good as any place to go to. In any case, it wasn't as if he had any other destination in mind. "Okay Raiden. First thing in the morning."

  
A while later, after dinner was consumed and Ranma had taken Wildfire and Wind Rider to the Pokémon center for treatments, the trainer and his Pikachu began heading back to the motel that Ranma had been staying at ever since he arrived in Viridian. As they came to their room, Ranma immediately noticed that his backpack was missing. He and Raiden began searching around for his possessions but could find nothing. Panicking that thieves might have broken in and stolen all of his worldly possessions, he went to the phone to call the police. It was then that he noticed a small note near the phone, which read: To the trainer who beat the Viridian gym leader. If you want your stuff back, meet us at the following address and come alone. Signed Team Rocket.

Ranma winced at the memory of the last time he met up with that organization. Jesse and James were of no consequence and neither were their Pokémon. All except one that is. That c-c-cat of theirs. The martial artist shuddered at the thought of encountering that talking Meowth again. However, if Ranma wanted his property back, then he had no choice. Some of those items were irreplaceable and had great sentimental value. In any case, that pack also contained most of their supplies and money was a bit tight at the moment. With a resigned sigh, he gestured to his Pikachu to follow him as he exited the door and headed toward the area that was indicated on the note. Ranma knew that this was some kind of trap, but he didn't really have a choice.

In an abandoned warehouse, Butch and Cassidy were going through Ranma's pack as they waited for his arrival. 

"Hey look at this Cassidy." Butch hauled out Ranma's ceremonial tanto, which was wrapped in a embroidered cloth and tied with a silken rope. As he unwrapped the blade, he stared at the Saotome family crest and said, "Whoa! Strange thing to be carrying around."

"If you think that's weird, look at this." Cassidy held out a small metal spatula, which had some kanji symbols on it. 

The two thieves rummaged through the pack, finding provisions and whatnot inside. After a few minutes, they were satisfied that there was nothing of any value inside to sell off or keep. Nothing in the pack gave them any information on how Ranma had trained his Pokémon, and the training manuals they found were in illegible Japanese. Replacing all the things in the pack, they turned to a console that had many television screens on it. On one of the screens, they saw Ranma and his Pikachu approaching the warehouse. They nodded to each other as they began the preparations for their unsuspecting guests.

Ranma and Raiden approached the warehouse with caution. They didn't know what to expect, but they were on their guard. Ranma fingered the two Pokéballs on his belt. Though he was confident that he and Raiden could handle anything that could be thrown at them, the fact that his other two Pokémon were ready at a moment's notice was reassuring. Taking a deep breath and then giving his Pikachu a nod, Ranma reached out to turn the doorknob.

In the control room, Cassidy smiled as she pushed a button on the console.

Ranma and Raiden each yelped in surprise as the ground gave way beneath them. The trapdoor swung out from beneath them, causing them to be dropped down a chute. 

"What the hell?"

"Pika!"

The two went down the nearly vertical shaft and found themselves headed down a hundred yards below ground. When the slide suddenly leveled off, Ranma and Raiden soared off into empty space. Curling his body into a somersault, Ranma made a graceful double flip before landing on a metal floor. His Pikachu followed through with a triple somersault and landed perfectly beside him.

The two looked around and saw that they were in a huge room that was about the size of a high school gymnasium. The area was lit by large ceiling lamps and was totally empty. The walls were smooth and were made up of panels. There didn't seem to be any exits that either could see and Ranma's danger senses were on high alert.

"Pika! Pika!" Ranma looked down at his Pikachu and saw that he was gesturing toward the center of the room. He turned his gaze to where Raiden was indicating and saw a familiar object on the floor.

"My backpack!"

Ranma and his Pokémon started to run toward it. When they were more than halfway toward it, they stopped when they heard a noise. Looking around, they saw that one of the wall panels was sliding open. A small object emerged from the hole and dropped to the floor. Afterwards the panel closed up. 

Ranma's attention was fixed on the object and when it rolled close enough, he recognized it as a Pokéball. When it came to a stop, it opened up and released a huge shape.

The Pokémon roared as it came in being. Ranma's expression turned pale as he brought out his Pokédex.

*RHYDON. A RHINOCEROS POKÉMON OF THE ROCK TYPE. RHYDON IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF RHYHORN. ITS SKIN IS STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND EXTREME PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES OF WELL OVER 2000O C. ITS TAKE DOWN ATTACK IS LIKE BEING HIT BY A TANK. ITS HORN IS AS HARD AS DIAMOND. *

"That doesn't sound good." Ranma remarked, then saw that another wall panel was opening up. Another Pokéball was released and reveled the Pokémon inside. At first, Ranma thought he was seeing a dragon when it flapped its wings and let off gouts of flame from its mouth. Then he remembered to point his Pokédex at it.

*CHARIZARD. THE FINAL EVOLUTION OF THE CHARMANDER. A FIRE TYPE POKÉMON THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO UNINTENTIONALLY START FOREST FIRES. ITS FLAMES CAN BECOME HOT ENOUGH TO MELT STONE. ITS TEMPERMENT MATCHES ITS FIERY FLAMES AND IS EXTREMELY HARD TO CONTROL.*

"Cool!" Ranma said in spite of the fact that he and his Pikachu were trapped in a room with these potentially lethal Pokémon. It was then that a third Pokéball rolled onto the scene and opened up. The Pokémon that appeared was just as intimidating. With its whiling, bladed arms, Ranma became concerned.

"Scyther!"

*SCYTHER, A BUG TYPE POKÉMON THAT HAS SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF DINOSAURS. IT IS VERY AGILE AND THE RAZOR EDGES ON ITS FOREARMS MAKE ITS SLASH ATTACK EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *

Ranma didn't like the way things were turning out. He and Raiden were facing off against three very violent and dangerous Pokémon that looked ready to tear into them at any moment. They both went into their ready stances and waited.

In the control room, Butch and Cassidy smiled as they watched Ranma and his Pikachu on a large viewing screen. It was then that Butch reached over to activate a loudspeaker and give their Pokémon the order to attack.

"CHARIZARD! FLAMETHROWER!"

The fiery lizard took a few steps forward and let loose with a scorching blast from its maw. Ranma and his Pikachu leapt to either side to avoid being toasted. Ranma rolled to the right then began powering up his ki energies. Raiden followed his trainer's lead and glowed a bright blue.

"RAIDEN! DOUBLE MOKO TAKABISHA!" Ranma had later named his ki attack as the Fierce Tiger Ball after he had discovered that he could project his ki by way of his confidence.

"Pika!" A small blue ball formed in front of the mouse's paws and then was sent hurtling toward the Charizard, just as Ranma released his own.

At the control room, Butch and Cassidy could only stare in amazement.

"What the heck is that?" Butch exclaimed.

The Charizard looked in confusion as two balls of ki energy came at it from either side. It had never encountered anything like this and it was too slow in dodging the twin attacks. Ranma's blast hit it in the belly while Raiden's exploded against the side of its head. The final evolution of a Charmander let off a roar of pain and was staggered. It would be several seconds before it could shake off the effects.

That was all the time Ranma needed as he dashed toward the injured Charizard to finish it off. His aura suddenly exploded into a red, blazing corona as he suddenly went from zero to 70 mph. He crossed the distance between himself and the Pokémon in under one and a half seconds and then leapt up in a sidekick. 

"RAPIDASH RUN!"

The Charizard had just shaken off the effects of being hit by ki blasts, when it saw Ranma approach it from out of the corner of its eye. It tried to turn its head toward the speeding martial artist to use another flame attack, but it was too late. Ranma's foot energized with ki that resembled Wildfire's flames, slammed into Charizard's temple and sent the lizard flying. The pyro-Pokémon slammed headfirst into a nearby wall with a loud clang, and then it slumped down into unconsciousness.

Butch's jaw hung out and hit the floor of the control room. "Huh? No way! How did he do that?"

Cassidy took up the microphone. "RHYDON! TAKE DOWN ATTACK! SCYTHER! SLASH ATTACK!"

Ranma was just taking his eyes off the downed Charizard, when his finely tuned danger sense kicked in and he ducked, thereby avoiding a viscous slash to the head by the Scyther. As Ranma turned to battle it, he felt the floor begin to shake and tremble. Sparing a glance to his Pikachu, he saw that Raiden was directly in the path of a charging Rhydon. It was then that the Scyther began making a series of slashes and cuts at the martial artist.

On the other side of the battle zone, Raiden leapt high in the air to avoid the Rhydon as it charged. As the electric rodent reached the apex of his leap, he began charging up his cheek pouches. He then discharged a massive amount of electricity in the form of his Thundershock attack, aiming directly for the Rhydon's eyes. 

"PIKACHU!"

The blast did nothing to the rock-type Pokémon's thick hide, but that was not Raiden's intent. Ranma's Pokémon knew that Rhyhorns and their evolved forms were like regular rhinos, and did suffer from poor eyesight and sensitivity to light. Having a burst of electricity occur in front of it was like staring at a flashbulb at point blank range. 

Rhydon stopped in its charge and shook its head as it was temporarily blinded. Raiden landed behind it and then launched the Stonebreaker Quick Attack. The Pikachu became a yellow blur of fury as he darted back and forth, landing dozens of ki-enhanced blows on his rocky foe. In just a few seconds, Rhydon was subjected to an intense pounding. When Raiden completed his attack, he stood in front of his adversary in a ready stance and waited.

Rhydon had a look of confusion as it tried to comprehend what had just happened to it. It then let off a groan as cracks in its protective skin appeared. Its massive horn also showed signs of fractures in it. The Rhydon looked down at its diminutive foe and let off an angered roar. It tried to charge at Raiden again, but the injuries it sustained was too much for it and it collapsed onto the floor face first making a loud boom as its massive body hit the metal.

Raiden made a polite bow to his fallen opponent.

  


In the control room…

"B-But… rock Pokémon are supposed to be strong against electric types!" Cassidy gasped as she saw Rhydon collapse to the floor of the arena.

  
Meanwhile, Ranma was getting quite a workout as he successfully dodged each of Scyther's attacks. He was really enjoying himself, as this was his first human-sized opponent. Ranma had been itching for a challenge to test his new skills and he wanted to make the experience a memorable one.

For the Scyther, it was a completely story. It couldn't understand how a mere human could be this fast. It had expected the trainer to send out a Pokémon to battle it, not fight it personally. Not only was he evading each of its attacks, but also he was actually smiling at it, as if he were enjoying it! This went on for another minute, in which the Scyther became more enraged at Ranma's audacity. Rearing back with one arm, it focused all of its energies in a downward slash to Ranma's head. The razor edge came down…

… And was stopped when Ranma clapped both palms on the sides of the arm and trapped the appendage in a barehanded sword catching technique.

"Scyther?" No one had ever stopped its slash attack before. It tried to pull its arm back, but Ranma tightened his grip and kept the arm from pulling free. The martial artist then raised his arms and sent a hard kick to Scyther's midsection, stunning it and causing its breath to be driven out. Releasing his hold on its arm, Ranma moved forward and delivered several hard punches to the bug Pokémon's abdomen and head, causing it to stagger back. Its thick exoskeleton began to buckle under the continuous pummeling. With the last punch, Ranma sent it sprawling back a dozen feet. The Anything Goes fighter began powering up his aura as he gestured for his Pikachu to join him.

Raising an arm with the palm facing up and the fingers spread out, focusing his ki into his hand. Ranma smiled as he began converting the ball of ki energy into electricity.

  
In the control room, Butch and Cassidy were still in shock after seeing Raiden defeat the Rhydon when they saw sparks appear in Ranma's hand. 

"How the heck is he doing that?!" Butch said, as he and his partner became awestruck at the appearance of a ball of lightning in Ranma's hand.

"Why are you asking me?" Cassidy replied as her eyes roved over the image of the muscular and very handsome martial artist as he prepared to deal the final blow to the weakened, but still fighting Scyther.

  
Ranma gritted his teeth as he saw the Scyther get to its feet and then made a suicidal charge toward them. At his feet, Raiden was powering up his cheek pouches.

Ranma smiled as he shook his head and said to his friend, "Sorry Raiden, but this one's mine! Just jump with me!" In his raised hand, the ball of ki was converted completely to electricity and grew to five times the size of a basketball. He and his Pikachu then leapt high. At the apex of his jump, Ranma reared back and tossed the sphere at the attacking Scyther in an overhand throw. "THUNDERBLAST BOMB!"

The bug Pokémon screamed in absolute terror as the ball lightning shot toward it and just as it tried to evade the attack, the sphere exploded against its side. Scyther roared in pain as it was subjected to more than 60, 000 volts! Its body twitched and convulsed as the electricity swept through it. 

Coincidentally, since the floors and walls were also metallic, the electricity was conducted through the surfaces. The surveillance cameras were overloaded and blew out their lenses as their circuits were fried. In the control room, Team Rocket had to duck for cover as their monitor exploded into a shower of glass, metal and sparks. 

Fortunately for Ranma and his Pikachu, they were in the air at the time and weren't in contact with the electrified room. When the blast ended, they focused their ki to absorb and redirect any remaining electricity that was still present. After a few moments, they powered down and gazed at the battlefield. Charizard, Rhydon and Scyther were all down for the count.

  
In the control room, Butch and Cassidy were just getting up when they saw that the main monitor was a smoking ruin. 

Butch whistled. "Whoa! Now that's what I call power!"

"I'll say!" Cassidy agreed as she dusted off some debris from her uniform. "So, do you think we should introduce ourselves now?"

Butch nodded as he went to the console and checked the systems. Fortunately, only the surveillance cameras had been damaged. Just about every other system had been insulated and was still working, including the speakers.

  
In the arena, Ranma and Raiden were still trying to figure out who had sent those Pokémon after them, when they heard Butch's voice over the speakers.

"Charizard! Rhydon! Scyther! Return!"

The Pokéballs that the Pokémon had come out of, each had a special remote control chip within them. Each device sent out their recall beams and took back the injured Pokémon.

Ranma and Raiden went into ready stances as wall panels opened up and robotic arms appeared to retrieve the Pokéballs. When they disappeared into the walls, Ranma shouted out to his mysterious attackers.

"Who are you? What do you want? Why did you have those Pokémon attack us?" 

"Very impressive pal! You passed your test with flying colors!" Butch replied.

"Test? What test?!" Ranma demanded.

"Pika!" Raiden was also annoyed.

Cassidy's voice took over the microphone. "The test to join our illustrious organization of course! We only invite the best Pokémon trainers and you most certainly qualify."

"Who… are… you?" Ranma said slowly.

"Let us introduce ourselves." Butch replied.

Suddenly, a panel in the floor opened up and the two conspirators rose up from an underground platform.

"Prepare for trouble!" Cassidy declared.

"Make it double!" Butch added.

"To infect the world with devastation!" 

"To blight all people in all nations!" 

"To renounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

"Team Rocket! Circling the Earth all day and night!"

"Surrender now for you will surely lose the fight!"

Just after Butch finished his line a strange Pokémon appeared from the opening and stood before them.

"Drowzee!" Ranma's expression was a mixture of surprise and relief. He had expected Jessie and James to appear when he heard the start of that motto, but he was thankful when that talking Meowth didn't appear with them. Then he considered whom he might be up against. THIS Team Rocket looked a lot more competent than the other two. He took out his Pokédex and aimed it at the Drowzee.

*DROWZEE. A PSYCHIC POKÉMON THAT IS SAID TO BE DESCENDED FROM THE TAPIR. ITS ATTACKS INCLUDE HYPNOSIS, PSI-WAVE AND THE METRONOME. *

Ranma frowned. He had no experience in dealing with psychic Pokémon and neither did his Pokémon. He and Raiden were trapped in an underground arena with no way out. Things didn't look good.

To be continued…

Author's Notes

Well, Ranma is now facing off against the more able Team Rocket and it looks like he's in really hot water. He's going to need a lot of luck to get out of this one. Stay tuned! 


	7. Chapter 7: Break Out!

**

Fist of the Pikachu

**

Disclaimer: I'll let the reader fill in the blanks this time around.

_Italic:_ Thoughts

**

Chapter 7

**

Break Out!

  


Sam Ryker sat in her room as she thought about the Pokémon trainer who had defeated her. It had been a long time since she had lost a match and to have been beaten by someone who had just recently started training was nothing short of unbelievable. 

_He was good! Better than I ever though he could be. How can a guy with only three Pokémon and just one battle get to be that good? There has to be more to it than that!_ "Still thinking about him, eh?" Sam turned at the sound of her father's voice as he entered her room. "Well…"

"It's all right Sam. I kind of thought you would be. He is a very nice-looking boy and a great trainer to boot."

"Really? I never noticed." Sam denied, but her father could see right through it.

"Now I don't believe that." Joe replied as he sat down beside his daughter, still smiling. "But that's not the reason why I'm here. I came here to tell you that I'm thinking about coming out of retirement and becoming a gym leader again."

"Why?"

"Because I know that you won't be able to manage the gym while out on your Pokémon journey."

"What Pokémon journey?"

"Oh come on now. I saw it in your eyes. When Ranma left us, I knew that you wanted to know how he trained his Pokémon. Besides, I think that going out for a while would be good for you. For the last month, you've done nothing but battle one trainer after another. You need to loosen up and get out more often. Now don't tell me that you weren't considering following Ranma."

Sam was about to protest, then nodded. "The thought had crossed my mind."

Joe's smile became wider. "I thought so. Actually, I was getting worried with you being so caught up in being a gym leader, that you didn't have much of a social life or a boyfriend."

"Hey! I just want to know how he trained his Pokémon! I'm not interested in that arrogant jerk!"

Joe gave his daughter a fatherly pat on her shoulder.

  


Meanwhile, back in Team Rocket's secret hideout…

"Test? You stole my pack and sent those Pokémon after us, just to see what we could do?" Ranma said incredulously as he and Raiden went into defensive stances.

"That's right, pal." Butch acknowledged as he and his partner Cassidy stood behind their Drowzee. "Though we gotta admit, we were expecting you to send out your Pokémon to battle, not take on ours on your own. That was real amazing though."

"Yes." Cassidy agreed as she looked over Ranma's features with avid interest. "You've just proven yourself worthy of joining the illustrious Team Rocket."

Ranma frowned, as his memories of the last time he met up with Team Rocket were not pleasant ones. "And why would we want to do that?"

"Pika!" Raiden retorted.

"You just showed us that as a trainer, your Pokémon are a lot stronger than normal. You've also got some skills that can be very useful to our organization. The boss liked what he saw and he wants you and your Pokémon to come work for him."

Ranma shook his head and replied, "Sorry, I'm not interested."

"Pikachu!"

"And Raiden speaks for himself and my other Pokémon as well. We're outta here." Ranma began moving toward his pack, which had miraculously survived the previous battle and had not been touched. Raiden stood ready, his cheek pouches sparking and ready to let fly with electricity at a moment's notice.

Butch snorted as he said, "You don't got any choice pal. The boss wants you and your Pokémon, and what the boss wants, he gets!"

"And how are you going to make us?" Ranma replied as he picked up his pack.

"Like this!" Cassidy gestured to Drowzee. "DROWZEE! HYPNOSIS ATTACK! Put them both out!"

The Drowzee stepped forward and began emitting intense, sleep waves toward Ranma and Raiden. 

"Drowzee… drowzee… drowzee…"

At first, Ranma didn't feel anything, but when he looked down, he saw that Raiden was becoming unsteady. His eyes were starting to close.

"Raiden! Fight it off!" Ranma took a battle stance and began focusing his ki. The sudden appearance of Ranma's battle aura made the two villains a bit nervous and they stepped back a bit. The Drowzee began increasing the level of his sleep waves at Ranma and Raiden. The little Pikachu struggled to keep awake, its own battle aura beginning to flare. However, it was apparent that he was fighting a losing battle and his aura faltered and flickered. With absolutely no experience in dealing with psychic Pokémon, Raiden fell flat on his face and was out like a light.

"Why you…!" Ranma was about to charge at the pair and their Pokémon, when he began to feel unsteady himself. He was starting to feel sleepy and he strained to remain on his feet.

Cassidy smiled as she noticed what was happening to Ranma. "Give it up friend. There's no way you can resist our Drowzee's Sleep Waves. Drowzee here has been specially trained to not only to affect Pokémon, but people as well. Its sleep waves can affect the brain patterns of humans and thanks to a few operations, Drowzee can put an entire block to sleep."

"Drowzee… drowzee… drowzee…"

Ranma continued to strain as he began to slowly advance on his tormentors. His battle aura flared up even more as he slowly moved forward, each step seeming more agonizing than the last. The hypnotic sound of Drowzee's voice was starting to lull to sleep and Ranma wasn't sure if he could make it, but he had to try.

"Whoa. This guy's got a lot of willpower. He's still standing!" Butch was a bit edgy at how Ranma was resisting Drowzee's attack. The pigtailed trainer and martial artist had slowed down to inching his way toward them, but he was still moving. At the same time, he was slowly reaching down toward the Pokéball that contained Wind Rider. When he got to within a dozen feet of them, Cassidy decided to use her ace in the hole.

"My, you've got a strong will. I like that in a man. But this game ends now." She took out a Pokéball and tossed it out in front of her. "VILEPLUME! STUN SPORES!"

The Pokéball opened up and released the flower-shaped Pokémon. 

"Vileplume!"

The top of its flower exploded and released a cloud of dust at Ranma. He started hacking and coughing as the powder filled up his lungs. As the spores weakened him, Drowzee's Sleep Waves finally overcame him. Ranma blacked out and fell forward. His mind finally welcomed the darkness of unconsciousness.

  


Some time later… 

Ranma regained consciousness several hours later as he heard the voices of Cassidy and Butch. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was in a room that looked to be a control center. He found himself in a sitting in a chair, but his arms and legs were held fast in the chair's built-in shackles. The cuffs were tightly bound around his wrists and ankles. Looking over to side, he noticed that the two members of Team Rocket had their backs to him and were talking to a large viewscreen. Butch and Cassidy were blocking his view so Ranma couldn't see whom they were talking to. Deciding to feign being blacked out; Ranma lowered his head, closed his eyes and listened to their conversation.

"So he's doesn't want to join Team Rocket? Well, no matter. Bring him and his Pokémon back to headquarters. I still want to know the secret of how he trained his Pokémon. In any case, I'm sure that we can 'persuade' him to come to our way of thinking."

"He's not going to be hurt, is he?" Cassidy asked.

"Why are you asking Cassidy? Is there something… wrong?"

"Oh no!" Cassidy said quickly. "I'm sure that he'll join us eventually. Nothing's wrong."

Giovanni considered Cassidy for a moment, then nodded. "In any case, have you got his Pokémon?"

"Yeah Boss!" Butch replied. "We put that Pikachu back in its Pokéball and took the other two that he had. They're in storage with the other Pokémon that we swiped in Viridian City. We'll be transporting them to you tomorrow morning. We'll bring that trainer to you afterwards."

"Excellent! You've done well, Butch! You too, Cassidy. You're two are far more reliable than those fools Jessie and James. I see the both of you tomorrow."

After signing off, the duo turned to their captive and assumed that he was still unconscious. With nothing left for them to do, they left the room, closing the door.

Ranma immediately brought up his head and looked around his surroundings. He began testing his bonds and frowned when he saw that they provided him with no leverage and that they were bound so tight, they chafed against his skin. They were also connected to cables than ran across the floor and connected up to a panel on a wall. The chair was bolted to the floor. Ranma didn't know what was in store for him and his Pokémon, but he was none too eager to find out. He had to get out and get his Pokémon back. Besides Professor Oak, they were the only friends that he had in this world. After a long and lonely training journey with his idiotic father, he wasn't about to give up his new companions. Desperately, he looked around for a way out of his bonds.

On a nearby table, he spotted a glass of ice water and something else. When he looked closer, his eyes widened as he recognized his Water Stone pendant beside the glass. Looking down at his chest, he realized that Cassidy and Butch must searched him and removed the necklace.

_Hmmm… without my Water Stone, my curse is active. If I got splashed, then I'd change into a girl._ Ranma thought about it a bit more then looked down at the cuffs holding his arms to the arms of the chair. They were steel bands and adjusted to tightly fit his arms, just behind the wrists, giving him no space to move them. Looking over to the side, a mere two feet away was the release mechanism to the shackles. _Damn! If I could just free one arm, I can get to that control panel! But these shackles are perfectly fitted to my wrists!_

Ranma's eyes then lit up with a realization. _Hey! These bands may be fitted to my wrists as a boy, but what about as a girl?_ Ranma remembered that his wrists were more slender as a female. _If I could only transform, I might be able to slip my arms free! But where can I get cold water?_ Looking back to the table, he saw that the glass of ice water was more than five feet away and was situated on top of a couple of thin books, making it a little higher than his chest level. Reaching for it was out of the question. He then saw that the stack of books was carelessly sitting atop a ruler and that one end was sticking out over the edge of the table. He saw above him on an adjacent wall just a foot away, a thin shelf. Straining his neck, he saw a couple of empty Pokéballs sitting on it. The martial artist smiled as a plan formulated in his mind. He was only going to get on shot at this.

He began focusing his ki and let it gather in his right hand. In his current position, he could only concentrate it on his index finger, but that was all he needed. He then judged the angle of the shelf and prepared to fire off a tiny blast of electrical power, The shot would be no more than a tiny static bolt, but he hoped it would be enough to get things rolling.

A small sphere of blue ki gathered at the tip of his index finger. It then began to change color and crackled as it was converted into electricity. Ranma then made a silent prayer and strained to point his digit in the right direction. He took a deep breath and fired off the electric spark.

The tiny bolt of electricity impacted one of the Pokéballs and sent started it rolling. The device rolled off the shelf and fell to toward Ranma. The trainer strained, twisted his hand to face palm up, and spread his fingers wide. He was rewarded when the Pokéball just landed on his fingertips and rolled into his palm. He let out a sigh of relief as he pressed the activator button and enlarged the device. He then paused as he looked at the glass of water before him. With a flick of his fingers, he sent the Pokéball toward the end of the ruler. Ranma's aim was true and it landed on the wooden stick, causing the other end to flip the books and the glass toward him. In an instant, the trainer and martial artist was splashed, turning from a him to a her.

Ranma-chan smiled as she looked down and saw that the bands around her wrists weren't as tight as they had been a minute ago. _All right! I'm in business!_

The transformed martial artist grunted and strained, but after a few minutes, she managed to wrench one arm free. She waved it around a bit to get circulation going again, and was about to reach over to press the control panel, when she suddenly thought of something. 

She no idea where her Pokémon were and even if she did know, she still had Team Rocket to deal with. Butch and Cassidy were of no consequence, but they still had that damned Drowzee. She had almost succumbed to its hypnotic effects and she wasn't sure if she could withstand it again. 

_Damn! There has to be a way to beat that thing!_ She thought back to when she had encountered it and remembered how irresistible its voice was, which seemed to amplify its Sleep Waves. When she looked on the table and saw something else on it, she smiled as she thought up of a way of countering the psychic Pokémon.

  
Meanwhile, inside a large storage area, Butch and Cassidy were in the process of cataloging all of their ill-gotten Pokémon, when an alarm was heard. They quickly dropped what they were doing and ran out of the storage facility, heading toward the control room. When they got to the control center, they were dismayed to find that their captive had escaped. The control panel he had used to free himself had set off an alarm, but he was nowhere insight.

"He's gone!" Cassidy exclaimed.

"No duh! Check the surveillance cameras!" Butch said.

"We can't! That guy shorted them out, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Well, he's not going to go anywhere! He can't get out of this underground complex without the access codes or call the cops! If he's not here, then I would guess that he's somewhere in the place."

"The storage area!" Cassidy exclaimed as she realized the most logical place where Ranma would have gone.

Butch nodded. "Right!"

The two rushed out of the room and headed back down the hall to where they kept the Pokémon. However, had they looked up, they wouldn't have needed to go anywhere.

Using the patented Saotome Cling-to-the-Ceiling-and-Hope-the-Enemy-Doesn't-Look-Up technique, Ranma smiled as the villains departed. He dropped down and lightly landed on his feet. He had transformed back by using some hot water from a nearby sink. Snatching up his Water Stone, he then began shadowing the two Team Rocket members as they led her through the corridors.

_Yeah, that's it, you dummies. You just show me the way to my Pokémon!_

The two burst into the huge storage facility, which was about the size of a warehouse and had hundreds of Pokéballs on shelves and a few Pokémon in cages. They then began to quietly search the aisles for any sign of the pigtailed martial artist, unaware that Ranma had followed them and was now sneaking about several meters above them. Using the ceiling rafters, Ranma silently made his way and kept them in sight as they went around aisles until they finally stopped somewhere near the middle and took out a tray which contained three Pokéballs.

Butch held them up to his partner and said, "Here's that guy's Pokémon. If he's coming here, we can use these as bait and hold them hostage."

"Good plan Butch! He wouldn't dare attack while we're holding his precious Pokémon." She then held up another Pokéball. "I got Drowzee here for back up. Between it and these Pokéballs, he won't be able to do anything!"

It was then that something dropped down from the ceiling and landed behind Butch. The male half of the duo turned around in surprise and was sent flying backward as Ranma launched a haymaker at his chin. Butch slammed into Cassidy and the two went sprawling.

Ranma smiled as he sensed the ki energies being emitted from the Pokéballs that Butch dropped. Those were his Pokémon all right! Placing two of them back on his belt, he held up the third one and said with a smile, "Raiden! I choose you!"

The Pokéball opened up and released the electric mouse. Raiden had more or less recovered from Drowzee's Hypnosis attack and while shaking its head; it let off a delighted squeak at seeing his trainer. 

"Pikachu!"

"Good to see you too, buddy!" Ranma squeezed his Pikachu tight as he jumped into his arms. 

The electric rodent happily nuzzled against Ranma then felt something being placed in his ears. Looking up at his trainer, he gave a confused sound.

"Pika?" Ranma smiled and gave him a wink before setting him back down. Motioning his electric rodent to follow him, he began to slowly walk toward Butch and Cassidy, who were still struggling to get up as they had crashed into a pile of empty boxes some fifty yards away.

When they finally got to their feet, they saw Ranma and Raiden walking up to them, battle auras glowing and the Pikachu's cheek pouches sparking.

"Look out! He's got his Pokémon back!" Butch cried out.

"No problem!" Cassidy stated as she tossed out her Pokéball. Drowzee appeared before them.

"Drowzee."

Cassidy smirked as she instructed the hypnotic Pokémon, "Drowzee, put them out again with your Hypnosis attack!"

Once again, the Drowzee began emitting its Sleep Waves and chanting its name. "Drowzee… drowzee… drowzee…"

Once again Ranma and Raiden's battle auras glowed even brighter as they advanced toward them.

This time however, they didn't slow down. The smiles of Butch and Cassidy began to fade as they saw their opponents continue to advance without a single pause in their steps.

"Uh… Cassidy… it's not working."

"Drowzee! Full power!"

Drowzee complied and poured out more intense sleep waves. It began chanting its name more forcefully. "DROWZEE… DROWZEE…DROWZEE… DROWZEE…"

However, Ranma and Raiden did not stop. Their battle auras were now a blue-white, making them appear as walking coronas. They showed no signs of being affected by Drowzee's attacks, and this made Team Rocket extremely worried.

"I don't get it! It's not working!" Cassidy said with fear in her voice.

When the two came within ten yards of them, Ranma nodded to his Pikachu and pointed to Butch and Cassidy. The little mouse understood his master's silent command and let loose with twin bolts of electricity at the duo.

"Pika… CHU!"

The two screamed out as they were hit by more than 40,000 volts. They slammed into the back wall and slid down to the floor.

The Drowzee stopped in its hypnosis attack when its trainers were attacked. It simply stood motionless. Apparently, it had been trained too well and was momentarily at a loss without instructions. Ranma took this opportunity to rush as the Drowzee.

"RAPIDASH RUN!"

Cassidy was the first to recover as she saw Ranma charge at her Pokémon. Seeing that the Hypnosis Attack was now ineffective, she gave the order for it to launch a physical attack.

"MEGA-PUNCH DROWZEE!"

"Drow… erk!"

Drowzee had just focused its energy and was about to launch its devastating attack, when Ranma, executing a flying kick, slammed it in the head. The Mega-Punch was a strong attack, but it suffered from two major drawbacks. First was the fact that it focused much energy into the punch, leaving very little for defense. Second, it took about two seconds to set it up. For a martial artist with Ranma's talents, that was 1.99 seconds too long. 

Drowzee was sent flying and slammed into an empty cage. It slid down and was rendered unconscious. Not wanting to have to deal with it later, Ranma tossed one of his empty Pokéballs at it. "POKÉBALL… GO!"

The hypnotic Pokémon was captured inside the device, which returned to Ranma's hand.

"Hey! That's our Drowzee!" Butch yelled.

Ranma shrugged as he placed the Pokéball on his belt and smiled, saying nothing while crossing his arms.

"VILEPLUME! STUN SPORE!" Cassidy yelled as she threw out another Pokéball. However, Raiden had caught the movement and gave the Pokémon a Thunderbolt just as it appeared.

"Pika… CHU!"

**ZZZAPPPP!**

The Vileplume fell to the ground in a smoking heap. It was then that Team Rocket realized something as Ranma and his Pokémon began advancing them. They didn't have any more Pokémon to fight with. All the others in the storage facility were stolen and would not obey them.

Ranma smiled as he saw the fear in their faces. These two were so used to letting their Pokémon fight for them, that they didn't have any combat skills of their own. Though he was taught never to pick on the weak, he was going to enjoy pounding these two for all the trouble they caused. As he and Raiden approached the two, he reached out and pulled out two small objects, dropping to the floor. Raiden did the same.

Cassidy looked down and saw the objects. "Ear plugs?"

Ranma smirked as he said, "You got it. Drowzee's Hypnosis Attack uses Sleep Waves, but it also uses its voice as a medium to carry those waves. I remembered that Drowzee kept on chanting its name when it used its attack. I also noticed that my battle aura helped me withstand Drowzee's attack. So I figured out that radiating ki interfered with the Sleep Waves and as long as we didn't hear Drowzee's voice, it didn't have any way to affect me or Raiden." He then looked down at his Pokémon. "Cassidy is yours but Butch is all mine!"

When the two villains realized that they were now at Ranma's mercy, Butch gulped and said, "Cassidy… I think we're in trouble."

Ranma smiled as he cracked his knuckles. "You better believe you're in trouble!"

"Pikachu!"

"And Raiden says to make it double!"

"Uh oh!" Butch and Cassidy gasped.

Ranma smiled evilly. "To inflict Team rocket with massive devastation!"

"Pika!"

"To deal out pain without hesitation!"

"Chu!"

"To make the world safe for truth and love!"

"Pika, pi!"

"By knocking Team Rocket to the stars above!"

"Pika pika!"

"Ranma…"

"Pikachu!"

"… and Raiden. Just itching for a fight!"

"Pikachu!'

"Look out Team Rocket, 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA PUNCH OUT YOUR LIGHTS!"

"YIPE!!!"

  


One brief, but very, very, very, VERY violent scene later…

Officer Jenny was closing the door to the paddy wagon, which had a bruised, battered, and barely conscious Butch and Cassidy inside. As it drove off to jail, the two moaned out together, "Looks like we're being carted off again."

Cassidy's body was littered with bumps and bruises, courtesy of Raiden. Who would have thought that a Pikachu could hit so hard? Raiden had also added insult to injury, by using a Thunderbolt on her after pounding her into the floor of the storage area. Butch had received even rougher treatment from Ranma who had flattened him and bent his joints in new directions. 

Ranma and Raiden smiled as they watched the duo being hauled off to jail. As the paddy wagon disappeared into the distance, Officer Jenny approached the two and held out her hand.

"I'd like to thank you for helping us catch those Pokémon robbers and finding all the stolen Pokémon."

Ranma warmly took her hand and shook it. "No problem. It was just lucky that those two were the same people you were looking for." 

"By the way, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you for Team Rocket's Drowzee. It is evidence you know."

He then released her hand and reached down for the Pokéball that contained Drowzee. Gazing at it for a moment, he nodded while handing her the Pokéball. It wasn't his after all.

Officer Jenny took it, then became thoughtful as she considered the handsome teenager before her. "Say… Ranma is it? Why don't you stay awhile? The police department could use someone like you."

The pig-tailed martial artist and Pokémon trainer shook his head as he brought out Wildfire's Pokéball. "Nah. My Pokémon and me need to head to the Pewter City Gym for our next badge. Thanks for the offer though. Goodbye. Let's go, Wildfire!"

The Pokéball opened up and released the fire-horse. As Wildfire reared back and neighed, Ranma leapt onto his back and grabbed onto the reins. Raiden hopped up onto Ranma's pack and the fiery steed began galloping away at a fast clip. Ranma waved back to Officer Jenny before he was out of sight of her and then urged his mount onward.

About twenty or so miles beyond Viridian City, Ranma had decided to stop for the night and set up camp. As he had a fire going, he had decided to let Wind Rider out of his Pokéball. The Pigeotto was perched on a large rock beside Raiden, while Wildfire stood nearby. Ranma was tending to the fire and cooking their dinner in a pot. A few minutes later, the four of them were eating their dinner. For the time being, everything seemed right with the world.

Back in Viridian City, in the home of Samantha Ryker, the gym leader in question was busy making preparations for a long journey as well. Her father entered her room, just as Sam closed up her pack.

"Looks like you're all set Sam."

The girl nodded as she turned to face Joe. "I'll be heading out first thing in the morning, Dad. Are you sure you can handle it while I'm gone?"

"No problem. I've wanted to get out of retirement and I think this Pokémon journey is just what you need. You've been battling other trainers nonstop ever since we got the gym."

"It's not just that, Dad." Sam blushed a bit, which her father caught.

"Oh I see. I had a suspicion that you had another reason for wanting to go on a Pokémon journey."

"It's not THAT, Dad! I just want to know how Ranma trained his Pokémon, that's all."

"If you say so, Sam." Joe didn't buy it for a minute. He had noticed how his daughter looked at Ranma and he couldn't be happier. She had even admitted to him that he was cute, after a lot of nudging. Sam had become so serious while being the gym leader and Ranma may just what she needed to lighten up. "I'll take care of the gym while you're gone. Be sure to write whenever you can."

"I will, Dad."

To be continued…

Author's notes

Well, that takes care of chapter seven. For those of you who think that Ranma should have kept the Drowzee, well I do have some plans for Ranma to get a psychic-type Pokémon in the near future, so don't worry. I just couldn't resist Ranma's own version of the Team Rocket motto as I felt that Butch and Cassidy was long overdue for some punishment. 


	8. Chapter 8: The Fourth Pokémon

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: I write and I disclaim. What more do you want from me?

_Italic:_ Thoughts  
* *: Pokédex responses

**Chapter 8**

The Fourth Pokémon

"I don't see him anywhere, Fearow!"

Sam Ryker looked down from high above as she rode her Fearow. The evolved form of a Spearow squawked as it rode the air currents. Its rider was observing the ground below through a pair of binoculars. It had been two weeks since Sam had seen Ranma. She had thought she could spot him from the air, but she had not taken into account of the head start he had and just how fast his Rapidash was. She had thought to find him in Pewter City, but was disappointed to learn that he had moved on.

A week ago in Pewter City…

"Yes, I've seen the trainer you described." The Officer Jenny of Pewter City replied.

"He's here?" Sam asked excitedly.

"He was. He challenged the gym leader to a match and after getting the Boulder Badge, he raced off on a Rapidash, heading toward Cerulean City. I've never seen a Rapidash move THAT fast before. According to what my radar gun clocked him at when he left, that horse of his was doing better than 220 mph! I couldn't catch him to give him a speeding ticket."

Sam was a little more than surprised to hear about Wildfire, but then remembered that Ranma was no ordinary trainer. "So he's gone to Cerulean City now?"

"That's what he said. And if I were you, I'd hurry over there as fast as you can. Judging by how easily his Pokémon beat the gym leader here; he won't be hanging around Cerulean for very long. He won the match in ninety seconds!"

"What happened?"

"Well, it's like this…"

  


Flashback…

At the Pewter City Gym, Ranma is seen facing off against the gym leader, who incidentally happens to be Brock's father, Flint, taking over in his son's absence. Behind him are his children who are rooting for their father.

Flint first uses a Graveler. Ranma simply gestures to Raiden and points to the rock Pokémon. One Stonebreaker Quick attack later and Graveler is reduced into a broken heap. Flint recalls his Graveler and then tries his own Onix. Raiden skillfully dodges its Rock Throw attacks and then runs up the length of its body. When the Pickachu perches on its nose, the rodent gave a bright electric flash to the eyes. Onix is temporarily blinded and Raiden leaps high into the air. Then all those who are watching (except Ranma), gasp as Raiden begins powering up his aura.

"RAIDEN! MOKO TAKABISHA!"

Raiden smiled as it released its attack. A bright, blue ball of ki energy blasted forward and slammed into Onix's head, right between the eyes. The effect was like being hit by a sledgehammer and this put Onix off-balance. The huge Pokémon crashed down and hit a wall. Raiden then landed and looked up. Instantly noticing the sprinkler system in the roof, he sent a large electrical blast toward the nozzles. This causes the sprinklers to be activated, instantly drenching Onix. Raiden then leapt high and with his cheek pouches sparking prepared to deliver the final blow.

"THUNDERBLAST BOMB!" Ranma called out.

Raiden raised a paw above his head. The cheeks of the Pikachu started forming a huge sphere of electricity over the paw, which grew to the size of a wrecking ball. The electric Pokémon threw it down at the fallen Onix, sending more than 110,000 volts into the wet Rock Pokémon. Fortunately, the floor of the gym was wood and no one was standing in water. 

Lightning went flying off in all directions when the Thunderblast Bomb hit, causing windows to be shattered. The Onix roared in pain before collapsing onto the floor, unconscious.

Flint could only stand there as his jaw hit the floor. Raiden landed next to his trainer.

"Pikachu!" Raiden raised a paw in victory.

Ranma smiled as he looked at the smoking Onix and surveyed the damage to the gym. He then said to his Pokémon, "You went a little overboard, Raiden."

  


End of flashback…

"I still can't believe that an electric rodent actually beat an Onix and a Graveler. I always thought electric types were weak against rock types." Officer Jenny said with awe.

_So did I._ Sam thought to herself. "So he beat the gym leader and he's on his way to Cerulean City now?"

"That's where he seemed to be headed."

Present time…

Ranma had indeed left for Cerulean City after earning a Boulder Badge and Sam had to fly there. However, when she got there, she once again discovered that she was late in catching him. Apparently, there were no Cascade Badges to be had, as the Cerulean Sisters had converted their gym to a water show arena. With nothing to battle for, the martial artist moved on. 

The day Sam arrived in Cerulean City…

"Yeah, we met up with him." One of the sisters replied as she and her siblings were preparing for a show. "He was really cute!" The second sister added.

"He's definitely a hunk! Too bad he didn't stay long." The third sister added.

Sam sighed as she thanked them for their help. 

Present time…

Sam did not know where Ranma had gone since leaving Cerulean City and had been scouring the countryside. So far, she hadn't found him. Noticing that it was getting late, she decided to land and settle down for the night.

Meanwhile, some ten miles away, Ranma and his Pokémon were eating their dinner. Ranma sat on a log near a campfire with Raiden, Wildfire and Wind Rider. As he ate from a plate, he looked down at a map to decide on where to go next.

"Well guys, I'm sorry that trip to Cerulean City was a waste. How was I supposed to know that those girls weren't gym leaders any more?"

"Pika." Raiden shrugged nonchalantly.

Wind Rider and Wildfire showed their indifference by tossing their heads before returning to their meals. There were other gyms and badges to be won. It wasn't like they were in a rush or anything.

"Well, I got to admit, those girls were kinda cute, so… I guess it wasn't a total loss. And I didn't know that Officer Jenny had a sister." Ranma's cheeks reddened a bit at the thought. Normally, Ranma would never admit something like that, but he had no trouble relating this to his Pokémon. They were his best friends and they'd never betray him. Besides, whom could they tell?

After polishing off his dinner, he lay back on his sleeping bag and watched the night sky. It was at that time that he suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched. The feeling lasted only for a moment then disappeared. Looking about and seeing nothing, he decided that it must be only the fatigue of the journey. He had been pushing Wildfire pretty hard lately to increase his speed, not to mention training Wind Rider and Raiden. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to recall Wind Rider and Wildfire before hitting the sack. Raiden joined him in the sleeping bag and the two were soon snoring.

Now normally, Ranma's sense of awareness was extraordinary and would immediately alert him to any danger. However, when something was not a threat to him, he tended to sleep like a rock. So it was no surprise that something with beady little eyes shuffled its way to the clearing where Ranma was sleeping. Raiden's ears twitched a bit at the noise, but the Pikachu was too tired at the time to wake up. Like his master, the electric rodent had developed a kind of sixth sense toward anything that was dangerous, but tended to ignore things that did not threaten him.

The creature was cloaked in the shadows as it silently made its way toward Ranma's backpack.

The next morning, Ranma and Raiden awoke and the martial artist was shocked to see that his backpack had been opened and many food items were scattered about the clearing.

"What the…? Something broke into my pack!"

"Pika!" Raiden scampered around the pack, sniffing at it and the area around it.

"What is it Raiden? Do you know what did this?"

Raiden continued to sniff around for a moment more then pointed off toward a path where a trail of foodstuffs was. Ranma nodded as he and the Pikachu followed the crumbs, apple cores, peels and other leftovers. Apparently, something had raided the pack for food during the night and had made off with a good portion of their supplies.

The two followed the trail and as they ran, Ranma noticed something else. He saw that along the trail, there were droplets of red on the ground. Whatever broke into his pack was also wounded. Ranma knew from experience that a wild animal that was hungry and hurt required caution and was to be avoided if possible. 

They soon came to the foot of a hill and Ranma noticed that the trail led toward a large tree and he saw that something was lying near the trunk in a hollowed out section. His eyes saw a squat body that was covered in scales and resembled an armadillo. He quickly took out his Pokédex.

*SANDSHREW, A MOUSE POKÉMON OF THE GROUND TYPE. SANDSHREW HAVE VERY TOUGH SCALES AND ARE EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD AT DIGGING. THEY MAKE EXCELLENT PETS, BUT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BE VERY PICKY EATERS.*

Looking at the garbage strewn around the tree, Ranma smirked as he said, "I guess in your case, you're not too fussy about what you eat." It was then that he noticed that the Sandshrew's body was bleeding badly from a several deep wounds. As Ranma approached, it noticed him and instantly went into a defensive posture. It began making some warning noises as it tensed up.

"Shrew!"

The pigtailed martial artist stopped. Holding up his hands in a non-threatening manner, he said in a calm voice, "Hey there. It's okay. I'm not mad about the food. It looks like you needed it more than we did. But those are some pretty nasty cuts you got there. I'd like to help you if you'd let me."

"Shrew! Shrew!" The armored mouse shook its head, backing up a bit more. It wanted nothing to do with him.

Ranma sighed as he looked down ad Raiden and pointed to the Sandshrew. "Maybe you can talk to him. Tell him that we're not going to hurt him."

Raiden nodded as it slowly approached the injured Sandshrew. "Pika? Pikachu?"

"Shrew!" Sandshrew pointed at the Pokéballs on Ranma's belt.

Raiden shook his head. "Pika! Pika! Pi!" The Pikachu gestured to Ranma. "Pika! Pikachu pi!"

"Shrew?"

Raiden nodded. "Pikachu! Pika?"

"Shrew… shrew…shrew!"

"Pika?! Pikachu!" After hearing Sandshrew, Raiden turned to Ranma and began gesturing to him with hand signals. After spending all this time with him, the martial artist had gotten to understand many of the electric rodent's gestures.

A minute later, Ranma had gotten the full story. _So that's it. Its trainer had abandoned it! From the looks of those cuts, I'd say that this Sandshrew was abused a lot before its trainer threw it away. No wonder it won't let me get close to it. It saw my Pokéballs and thought I was going to capture it. Well, I can't just leave it here._

"Raiden, see if you can convince this Sandshrew to let me take it to the nearest Pokémon Center. Tell it that I promise that I won't try forcing it, but I need to put him in a Pokéball for just a little while. After he is healed, I'll set him free. No strings attached!"

Raiden nodded and relayed the message to the Sandshrew. After much gentle prodding, the armored mouse nodded reluctantly. 

Ranma took out an empty Pokéball and set it in front of the Sandshrew. The injured Pokémon nudged the device with its snout and was transported into the ball. Ranma picked it up and ran back to the campsite with Raiden at his heels. A few minutes later, he was riding Wildfire down the main highway at breakneck speed. The fire-horse's flames blazed brightly and made it look like a shooting star. Ranma urged his mount faster toward a nearby rest stop that he had seen on his map the night before. The place was also a Pokémon center.

Some time later… 

"I have some good news for you. Your Sandshrew is expected to make a full recovery." Nurse Joy said as she handed Ranma a glass of ice water. Sitting beside him on the bench, Raiden looked up at the pink-haired Pokémon nurse.

Ranma gratefully took the glass and replied, "Thanks, but it's not mine. I found it like that after its trainer had abandoned it." The pigtailed martial artist then looked at Joy with a confused expression. "Say, didn't we meet back in Viridian City?"

Nurse Joy smiled as she said, "No, you must have met my identical sister Joy. We both come from a very large family of Pokémon nurses. We're all named Joy." She then gestured to a family portrait, which depicted huge crowd of identical Joys.

Ranma stared at the photo, then thought, _Whoa! This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Joy to the World!' _

"I must say, it was a good thing you brought that Sandshrew in when you did." Joy continued. "I can't imagine anyone would be so cruel to abuse it like that."

Ranma nodded as he said, "Well, if I ever meet whoever did that to it, he's going to get it!" He held up a fist and clenched it, cracking the knuckles.

"Pika!" Raiden agreed.

Nurse Joy nodded. "People like that shouldn't be allowed to become Pokémon trainers. In any case, Sandshrew should be well enough in a few days."

The Pokémon trainer and martial artist nodded as Nurse Joy left to make her rounds. As Ranma sat quietly in the lounge, sipping his water, he began overhearing a few people nearby engaging in conversation. He looked over and saw a teenage boy of about fifteen or so, talking to another. On the table between them were five Pokéballs. The boy had brownish hair that was cropped short and had a bit of a haughty atmosphere about him. Judging by his flashy-looking clothes and snobbish attitude, Ranma assumed that he must be some kind of spoiled rich kid. It was then that he began getting the feeling that he had seen him somewhere before.

"You really got yourself some really strong Pokémon Billy!" One of the rich kid's companions remarked.

"You bet! Nothing but the best for Billy Bartonne!" The rich kid replied as he picked up a Pokéball and balanced it on his index finger. "I got a Charizard, an Arcanine, a Ninetails, a Raichu, and a Victreebell."

"Hey, what about that Sandshrew you had?" The other boy asked.

"That little wimp?" Billy snorted. "I got rid of him. That is, after I kicked him around a bit. That stupid Pokémon was just too weak to amount to anything. It was also hard to feed since it was so picky."

As soon as Ranma heard this, his brow furrowed and his anger began to rise. _It's him! He's the guy that abandoned Sandshrew! _ "I guess so." The second boy shrugged as he continued with the conversation. "It's a shame that you didn't get that Ponyta a while back."

Billy's expression became irritated as he said, "Yeah, well if I ever meet up with that trainer and his Pikachu, I'm going to make him pay for stealing my Ponyta. I spent three weeks tracking that horse and it was mine by rights!'

When Ranma heard this, he suddenly realized why that rich boy was so familiar. He was the same person that he had met when he had rescued Wildfire. His blood began to boil even further as he remembered the cruelty that his fire-horse had endured. Now Ranma had two reasons for not liking this person. Raiden's trainer was sorely tempted to walk over to where Billy was sitting and beat the living daylights out of him, but decided against it. Fighting was not allowed and Nurse Joy probably wouldn't appreciate it if her place were demolished. Besides, there was Sandshrew to think about. He decided to bide his time and wait, at least until Sandshrew was well enough to be released. With that in mind, Ranma turned his back to where Billy and his friend were sitting.

Unfortunately for Ranma, a lone figure had spotted him from around the corner of the entrance to the rest stop. He was one of the other boys who had been with Billy when they had caught Wildfire. Recognizing the pigtailed trainer from before, he stepped back and made a note to later tell Billy that the trainer that had stolen their catch was here. They would make plans to jump him as soon as he left the Pokémon center.

Three days later… 

Ranma was walking down a dirt road in the nearby forest. In his hand was the Pokéball that contained Sandshrew. On his right shoulder was Raiden.

For the last three days, Ranma and Raiden had stayed by Sandshrew's side as Nurse Joy tended to it. Raiden's trainer had sneaked in a few snacks for it, while the Pikachu conversed with it daily, providing good company for his fellow mouse. Eventually, Sandshrew grew to like their presence, though it couldn't believe some of the things that Raiden told it. It had never before experienced such kindness from a human. Its only experiences were from the cruel treatment it received with Billy.

Though Ranma liked being with Sandshrew, he knew that he couldn't keep it. The mouse Pokémon had been through a rough experience and it would be better for it to stay clear of humans for a while. Furthermore, Ranma just couldn't force the Pokémon to stay with him. With this in mind, he decided to set it free as soon as it was proclaimed fit to be released.

Ranma and Raiden eventually stopped somewhere deep in the forest and decided that this was as good a place as any to release the Sandshrew. He tossed the Pokéball to the ground and watched as it opened up and released the armored mouse.

"There you go Sandshrew. You're free. Just like I promised."

The Sandshrew looked up at Ranma with a sad and confused look. "Shrew?" It pointed up at Ranma.

The Pokémon trainer shook his head and replied, "I told you before. I ain't keeping ya. You deserve to be free. You don't wanna hang out with me, do ya?"

"Shrew!" Sandshrew scampered up to Ranma and nuzzled him on the leg.

Ranma shook his head as he bent down and gently pried Sandshrew from his leg. He picked up the mouse Pokémon and held it up in front of him. "Sandshrew, my life is trouble enough without dragging you into it. And I know just how uneasy you are around humans. Having that creep for a trainer was probably no picnic for you. I think it would be better if you stayed here. Besides, I already have my hands full with just training three Pokémon. I'm not sure if I'm ready for a fourth." He placed it back on the ground and then called forth Wildfire. He then mounted the horse and waved goodbye to the Sandshrew before it could protest.

"Goodbye Sandshrew. And good luck." Ranma galloped away.

Sandshrew watched as the cloud of dust that marked their departure faded away into the distance. As it stood there, a tear formed in an eye and ran down its cheek. For a long time, it stood motionless. Then it suddenly brightened up and scampered off into the dense forest. However, it was not heading to make a new life in the wilderness. It was actually heading toward a ridge where it knew the path that Ranma was taking would intersect before exiting the forest. The path actually circled around a large area before heading toward the main road. Sandshrew knew few shortcuts and if it was fast enough, it might be able to catch up with him.

A little further down the path, after making sure the Sandshrew wasn't following, Ranma slowed his horse to a trot. As they made their way, Raiden started conversing with his trainer.

"Pika pi, pi."

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, I could've kept him, but you know how I feel about putting Pokémon into Pokéballs. Besides, that little guy has been through enough. It deserves to have a free life after all it went through.

"Pika! Pikachu!"

"Look, I told you that I'm not going to argue. I promised to let him go and I keep my word. Let's no talk about any more, okay?"

Raiden was about to protest further, but then went stiff. Ranma noticed this and then started getting the feeling that something was up ahead.

Looking forward, he saw that the forest ended near the rocky side of a mountain. The way ran through a narrow pass in which a canyon opened up. Ranma became a bit edgy as he looked at rocky sides. There wasn't much room to maneuver and the place was perfect for an ambush. But this was the only way out of the area, so Ranma cautiously urged his Rapidash forward.

High above them on one of the canyon walls, Billy Bartonne smiled as he looked through a pair of binoculars. "There he is! And it looks like that Ponyta he stole from me has evolved into a Rapidash! Oh well, all the better for me when I take it back!"

His two companions were each standing near a pile of boulders, one at the entrance and one at the exit to the exit. He then raised his arm while looking through the binoculars, preparing to give the signal for them to seal off the canyon. When Ranma was about halfway across the narrow pass, he waved his arm to his cohorts.

Both boys nodded as they each used a large branch to move the first rock that held their piles in place. In less than an instant, their homemade landslides began tumbling down the slopes. Unfortunately, the schemers had not realized just how eroded the walls of the canyon were. They had intended to block off Ranma's escape route by sealing off both sides, but their artificial avalanches had caused a chain reaction that caused large pieces of canyon wall to become dislodged.

Down below, Ranma and Raiden looked up at the sound and gasped as they saw huge rocks coming down toward them. Wasting no time, he dug his heels into Wildfire's sides and urged him to head for the exit. Unfortunately, large boulders blocked off the pass and Ranma was forced to turn his Rapidash around. His blood turned cold as the saw the other side blocked off as well. He knew that they would be crushed underneath the falling rocks and he desperately looked for a way out. Spotting a cave in the side of the canyon, he made his mount dash toward it. Ranma and his Pokémon made it into the cave with just seconds to spare as huge boulders sealed off the cave entrance. He then got off his horse and they all braced themselves to wait for the avalanche to stop. The cave walls shook and dust clouds were kicked up as the rocks continued to fall, making the ground tremble. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the rumbling stopped.

Ranma picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off. He went to check on Wildfire and Raiden, then after assessing that they were unharmed, he looked around to survey his situation. It did not look promising. The cave entrance was sealed and the entire place was pretty unstable. There was no other exit. He didn't want to risk using his ki techniques to blast his way out since there was no way of knowing just how much rock was between him and the outside. Furthermore, he might start a cave in if he tried.

Ranma also knew that with the cave sealed, the air inside would not last very long. With that in mind, he recalled Wildfire and then took out Raiden's Pokéball.

"Pikachu!" Raiden protested.

Ranma shook his head and said, "I'm sorry Raiden, but I have to put you in your Pokéball. The air won't last in here and you'll be safer in your Pokéball. Now get in."

"Pika!" Raiden shook his head and clung to his master's leg.

Meanwhile, outside the cave, Billy was shouting at his two friends.

"You idiots! I told you just to seal off the canyon, not cause the whole thing to collapse!"

"Hey! How were we supposed to know that the whole thing would fall down?"

"Never mind! That guy's a goner and I'm not going to stick around when the police arrive. Let's get out of here!"

The three boys left Ranma to his fate. Fortunately for Ranma, he did have help on the way in the form of a Sandshrew.

Sandshrew was hiding nearby when it saw its former trainer and his friends cause the avalanche. When the trio ran off, it quickly made its way down the unstable slopes and then by using its nose, found the cave where Ranma and his Pokémon had taken cover in. Seeing that the rocks blocking the entrance were too heavy to move, it decided to take a different route. In less than a minute, it was underground and was tunneling toward the cave.

Inside the cave, Ranma was still trying to convince his Pikachu to get into his Pokéball. By now, the air inside the cave was thinning and the martial artist was feeling dizzy. He suddenly dropped to the floor of the cave. The Pokéball clattered as it hit the ground.

"Pika! Pika!" Raiden scampered to where his master lay.

Ranma was sweating profusely and his breathing had become shallow. He weakly moved the Pokéball to where his Pikachu was standing. "Raiden… please… get into your Pokéball."

"Pika!" Raiden shook his head, though by now the electric mouse was starting to feel the effects of the lack of air. It was then that his sharp ears perked up at the sound of something rumbling deep within the ground. He wondered what it was and then a crack began to form in the floor of the cave. Then suddenly, the surface erupted upward and Sandshrew's head popped up through the hole.

"Shrew!"

Raiden's eyes lit up when he saw the Sandshrew and then began to quickly explain the situation. By now, Ranma had lapsed into unconsciousness and it would only be a matter of minutes before he was beyond anyone's help.

"Pika! Pikachu! Chu! Pi! Pi! Chu! Chu!" Raiden scampered over and opened a flap in Ranma's pack. Pulling out a length of rope, the electric mouse started wrapping it around Ranma's chest, then tied the other end to Sandshrew's neck.

The burrowing Pokémon understood what the Pikachu wanted and started enlarging the tunnel he had come through to allow for Ranma's body to pass through. Raiden had a tough time, but he managed to roll his trainer onto his back. He then hopped onto his chest and listened. He became very alarmed when he heard Ranma's heartbeat became fainter with every passing second.

"Pikachu! Pika!" Raiden urged Sandshrew to dig faster. It was then that they both heard another rumbling noise. Looking above them, Raiden saw that large cracks were starting to form in the ceiling. The electric rodent became frantic.

Sandshrew was digging as fast as it could, dragging Ranma's body into the tunnel. However, it was not going to make it. The roof of the cave would fall in a minute and once it did, the tremors would cause the makeshift tunnel to collapse. It knew that there was no hope, but it wasn't going to give up its new trainer. With supreme effort, Sandshrew redoubled its efforts and then… it happened. The Pokémon began to glow white and Raiden watched with awe, as Sandshrew became more robust and larger. The scales on its back became quills and its paws sprouted out a wicked set of claws. Sandshrew had evolved into Sandslash!

As Sandslash, he began digging at an astounding rate. In no time whatsoever, it had burrowed its way back out the tunnel and dragged Ranma into daylight. Just in the nick of time too, as the cave finally collapsed in on itself and the tunnel behind them as well.

Raiden let off a gleeful sound as he saw Ranma's eyes flicker and he started coughing. He then felt something was on his chest. Focusing his eyes, he gazed on Raiden's happy expression, then noticed something else leaning over him. His face took on a surprised expression as he beheld his newest Pokémon.

"Slash! Slash!"

Later…

*SANDSLASH, A MOUSE POKÉMON OF THE GROUND TYPE. SANDSLASH IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF SANDSHREW. IT ATTACKS ITS OPPONENTS WITH THE QUILLS ON ITS BACK. WITH ITS POWERFUL FRONT CLAWS, SANDSLASH CAN DIG THROUGH THE GROUND AT AMAZING SPEEDS.*

"Cool." Ranma remarked as he put away his Pokédex and gazed at the Pokémon. "I don't know what to say. You saved us. Thank you. I wish there was some way to repay you."

"Slash! Slash!' The Sandslash jumped up and down happily as it pointed to the Pokéballs on Ranma's belt. It knew what reward it wanted.

Ranma shook his but smiled. "You really want to go with us, don't you?"

"Slash!"

Ranma looked down at Raiden, who smiled back up at him and nodded. The electric mouse liked the idea of another mouse coming along.

"Pikachu!"

"Slash!"

Ranma chuckled as he took out a Pokéball. "Okay you two. I know when I'm outvoted." He then gazed down at the Sandslash. Marveling at its sharp claws and quills, he casually tossed the Pokéball.

"Welcome to the team… Razor."

Razor gave off a happy sound at the new name as the Pokéball opened up. 

To be continued…

Author's Notes

Well, Ranma now has a new Pokémon. Why did I choose a Sandslash? Well, it would be good company for Raiden and I liked the way it looked. With Razor, Ranma is one step closer to having the required six Pokémon. As for Sam and Billy, we'll be seeing more of them as well. 


	9. Chapter 9: Ranma Vs Jeanette

**

Fist of the Pikachu 

**

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takshashi. Owners of Pokémon. My fanfics. I think you can dope out the rest. 

Italic: Thoughts  
* *: Pokédex responses 

**Chapter 9 **

Ranma Vs Jeanette 

  
In the main headquarters of Team Rocket, the big boss of that organization was giving new instructions to two members. 

"All right you two, you've seen the footage that Butch and Cassidy sent from Viridian City. You know who your target is and what he looks like. According to our spies, this Ranma Saotome is heading toward Vermillion City. He's probably going there to win a Thunder Badge. I want the two of you to intercept him and bring him and his Pokémon back to headquarters. I want them alive, understand?" 

"Yes, boss!" The two members replied. 

"Remember." Giovanni continued. "His Pokémon possess some strange attacks and we're not too sure about that trainer either. I'd ask Butch and Cassidy, but they're in jail and it would be too suspicious to bail them out again." 

"Don't worry, boss." One member said. 

"We can handle it." The other agreed. 

  
Meanwhile, somewhere near the road to Vermillion City, Ranma-chan was currently in her female form and was watching her Pikachu explain about the curse to the newest member of their group. 

"Pikachu. Pi." 

"Slash?" 

"Pika pi pi." 

"Slash? Slash slash slash?" 

"Pikachu. Pika." Raiden gestured to the fire where a pot of water was being heated. Ranma-chan went over to it, used a tin cup to get some water, and poured it over her head. When she became a he, he then put his Water Stone pendant back on and turned to face Razor. 

"Slash? Slash slash!" 

"Pika! Pikachu!" Raiden waved a paw to calm down the evolved form of Sandshrew and then said in a cheery tone. "Pika! Pi. Pika pika pikachu!" 

"Slash?" Razor looked up at Ranma, who smiled at the confused look that his clawed Pokémon had. 

"It doesn't matter what I look like on the outside. I'm still Ranma. It just happens and it's nothing to really get excited about, right? We just thought that you should know about me, if you really want to go with us. You still want to come with us, right?" 

The Sandslash considered Ranma for a moment, then shrugged and said in a happy tone. "Slash!" He then trotted over to Ranma's leg and nuzzled it with his nose. 

Ranma smiled as he patted Razor's head. 

It had been ten days since the Sandslash had joined them, and Ranma had wasted no time in putting him through the same training regimen as his other Pokémon. He also found it challenging to spar with Razor as his sharp claws and quills gave the matches a little added danger. Though he wasn't as agile as Raiden, Razor made up for it in strength and toughness. 

Ranma had also begun to teach his newest Pokémon about ki. It would be a while before he would be able to project it, but Razor had no problems in using it to enhance his physical abilities. Already Razor's claw techniques were improved and dealt out more damage. Razor could dig through the ground at a much faster rate and could even cause small, seismic tremors. Tackle attacks became more potent, especially when he curled up in a ball and used those quills, looking like a spinning buzzsaw. It seemed that Razor would fit in quite nicely. Though he was still a bit picky as to what he ate. Ranma was working on that, by teaching Razor the Anything Goes method of inhaling food. 

For Ranma, he began developing slash attacks by mimicking his Sandslash's movements. He thought it would be much better than having to resort to the potent, yet unstable Cat Fist. By using the side of the hand and focusing his ki into it, Ranma could chop through things with surprising ease. Unlike the Stonebreaker Fist, the new Slash Cutter could slice with more accuracy. In short, it became a far more effective Karate Chop and Knife Hand Thrust. 

  
Another week later… 

Sam was flabbergasted as she saw the ruins of the Vermillion City Gym. The whole place had been demolished. In the center of the rubble, Lt. Surge, the gym leader was cradling his Raichu in his arms and wrapping some bandages. Surrounding him were several other trainers, who were all wearing shocked expressions. 

"Excuse me? Are you Lt. Surge, the gym leader?" 

The large man looked down at the girl and nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Are you here for a match?" 

"No, I'm a gym leader from Viridian City. I was wondering if you happened to have met a trainer by the name of Ranma Saotome? He's about this tall, has a pigtail and… okay, he's cute. He has a Pikachu with a white headband." Sam gestured with her hands. 

"Met him? He came here and challenged me for a Thunder Badge." Surge replied. 

"Then he's here?" Sam asked with a bit of excitement. 

"He was. He just left about a half-hour ago. I thought he was a beginner, but his Pokémon battled like I've never seen before. My Raichu didn't stand a chance." Surge gestured down at his Pokémon, which had several cuts and bruises and was moaning a bit. 

"Rai… chu." The evolved form of a Pikachu was pretty dazed from its battle. 

"If you'll excuse me, I have to get my Raichu to the Pokémon center." He nodded to Sam and then headed off. 

Sam decided to get the details from the other trainers who had witnessed the match. "So what happened?" 

A boy who was wearing punk clothes replied, "Well, it was just after Surge beat his third challenger when this Ranma guy showed up…" 

  
Flashback… 

"Hey, are you the gym leader?" Ranma asked. 

"That's me. I'm Lt. Surge. You here for a Thunder Badge?" 

"You bet!" Ranma nodded as he looked at the Raichu at Surge's feet. He took out his Pokédex and aimed it at the electric mouse. 

*RAICHU, A MOUSE POKÉMON OF THE ELECTRIC TYPE. RAICHU IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF THE PIKACHU. A THUNDERSTONE IS NEEDED TO EVOLVE IT. IT CAN SHOCK WITH MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND VOLTS, ENOUGH TO RENDER A DRAGONITE UNCONSCIOUS.*

"Pika!" Raiden stepped forward. He was more than ready to show the evolved rodent just how strong he was. 

"Looks like your Pikachu wants to battle." Surge commented as he regarded Ranma's Pokémon. In the past, Surge would have dismissed the unevolved electric mouse as too weak. He had to reevaluate that opinion when he met up with Ash Ketchum a year ago. His Pikachu had demonstrated the serious flaw in evolving his Pokémon too fast. Raichu had never learned the speed attacks that the Pikachu stage offered and was too slow to keep up with a faster opponent. After that defeat, Surge had decided to retrain Raichu and helped increase its speed and stamina. Raichu still wasn't as agile as a Pikachu, but it could last longer and did not expend its electricity too quickly. 

Ranma smiled down at Raiden and bent down to pat him on the head. "Sorry Raiden. I know how much you'd like to show Raichu how strong you are, but you've really got to give the others a chance. I'd say that it's time to put Razor's training to the test." 

"Pika!" Raiden shook his head. He wanted to battle. However, he saw the look in Ranma's face. The decision was final. With a resigned sigh, Raiden nodded and stepped back. 

"You're not going to use your Pikachu?" Surge was a bit surprised. He wanted to see if Raichu's training was effective against a Pikachu. 

"Nope. I'm going to use this Pokémon. Let's go Razor!" 

The Pokéball opened up and the evolved form a Sandshrew appeared. 

"Slash!" 

Lt. Surge looked down at the Sandslash and shrugged. Raichu could handle it, no problem. Sandslash were not as fast and lacked long-distance attacks. One Thunderbolt attack would be all that would be needed. "Okay pal, if that's what you want." 

A minute later, the two Pokémon were facing off against each other. An announcer began introducing the combatants. 

"In this corner, we have Lt. Surge and his Raichu. In the other corner is the challenger with a Sandslash." 

"You ready?" The gym leader called out. 

"Whenever you are." Ranma replied as he watched Razor begin powering up his aura. 

Surge wasted no time, though he was mystified at the faint blue light that surrounded Razor. "RAICHU, THUNDERBOLT!" 

"Raichu!" The electric rodent powered up its electric sacs and then let loose with a huge blast of lightning that streaked toward Razor. 

The Sandslash however, needed no instruction from Ranma, as he suddenly dived underground and began digging toward his opponent. The electricity passed harmlessly above him. The floor of the gym rumbled a bit and Raichu was caught off balance from the sudden shaking. A line of cracks appeared and headed toward Raichu. Then suddenly, the ground where it was standing exploded and Raichu was sent flying upwards. Razor erupted from the ground and shot up into the air after his adversary. 

"RAZOR, ANYTHING GOES!" 

"Slash!" The Sandslash seemed to defy gravity as it began raining kicks and slashes at Raichu. The electric mouse had never experienced being physically beaten in the air and was caught totally off guard. Ranma smiled with pride as he saw his Pokémon demonstrate the Saotome specialty of midair combat. A final downward punch and Raichu was sent hurtling back down toward the floor. As Surge's Pokémon landed with a thump, Razor landed a few meters away in a ready stance and waited for the next command. 

"Huh? Since when could Sandslash do air attacks?!" Surge exclaimed as he watched Raichu painfully pick itself off the ground. 

Ranma shrugged as he said, "Since when is there a rule that says that they can't?" 

Surge quickly got over his surprise and then gave another command to Raichu. "Okay Raichu, if he wants to play hardball then give him a taste of your Mega-Punch!" 

"Raichu!" The electric mouse rushed toward its opponent while cocking back a paw, which began to glow. 

Razor however, was not impressed. Like Ranma, the Sandslash had been trained in the fundamentals of the Anything Goes Martial Arts. Speed was the key. Razor was already ducking down and slamming into Raichu's belly, just as it was bringing its paw forward. The energy of the Mega-Punch was wasted as Raichu was sent staggering back. 

Surge had considered a body slam attack, but the quills on Razor's back made that idea unworkable. Before he could decide on a course of action, he was distracted from a sudden flare of light. His eyes widened as he saw the Sandslash glow with an intense light. 

"BUZZSAW BARRAGE!" 

"Slash!" Razor charged at his opponent and then curled up into a ball, extending his quills and spinning furiously. He began cutting up the floor like a circular saw and chips of wood and concrete went flying everywhere. Raichu just barely managed to evade the sharp quills of the Sandslash as it leapt out of Razor's path. 

Surge saw an opening. "THUNDERSHOCK!" 

Raichu powered up and let loose with a sizzling bolt. The lightning hit Razor's spinning form dead on, and Surge thought he had won. However, to everyone's surprise, the lightning was harmlessly scattered and Razor made a U-turn and came charging back at Raichu. 

"Rai!" The electric mouse yelped a bit as it was nicked in the side as Razor spun past it. 

Razor stopped rolling and then faced off against Raichu, who was now just barely standing. Behind him, Ranma nodded. When he had taught Razor to use its ki to power the Buzzsaw Barrage, he had also noticed that the Sandslash had built up a kind of field around it while spinning, thereby diluting the effect of energy attacks against it. Razor now stood poised to finish off its opponent. 

Surge became desperate and decided that Raichu needed to go all out. 

"RAICHU! THUNDER WAVE, FULL POWER!" 

Raichu let loose with a huge blast of electricity, using up all of its reserves. Razor curled up into a ball and hunched down on the floor. It began focusing its battle aura to maximum to reflect off as much of the electrical attack as possible. After training with Raiden, the Sandslash had learned the value of ki and its ability to take the brunt of an attack. 

An entire wall was blown out as Raichu's electric assault blasted away at Razor. The Sandslash shuddered under the attack, but did not waver. Surge and all the other spectators had to take cover as debris went flying everywhere. Ranma however, didn't budge as he simply powered up his battle aura to absorb some of the blast and deflect the rest. After all this time with Raiden, he was quite used to high amounts of electrical power. Raiden did the same an absorbed just about all the voltage that hit him. A few moments later, the electrical storm was over and Surge smiled. 

"Well, that's the end of the match. Huh?" It was then that he noticed something. Razor was still standing. So were Ranma and Raiden. More than a hundred thousand volts had been used against the Sandslash and all it did was slightly singe a few of his quills. Razor began focusing his energy for his final attack. 

Ranma smiled as he gave the order. "RAZOR, POWER SLASH!" 

Razor nodded as he crossed his front paws together and then brought them down in diagonal arcs. Twin crescent-shaped ki blasts shot forward in an X and collided with Raichu, who was too tired from releasing so much electricity to dodge. Raichu let off a yelp of pain as the energy exploded against it and drove it backwards. The electric rodent landed on its back and was out cold. 

Surge's jaw dropped to the floor. 

End of Flashback… 

  
"I just couldn't believe it." The boy finished. "I thought for sure that Raichu could beat Sandslash. Then again, I never knew that a Sandslash could do those attacks." 

_From what happened to me, I'm not surprised._ Sam thought. If there was one thing she knew about Ranma, it was that he was no ordinary trainer. _So now he's got a Sandslash. That's interesting. I still want to know just how he taught those Pokémon those new attacks._

Sam filed away this information as she pondered what to do next. She once again missed him and it was getting to be a real pain to track him down. If only he would just stay in one place for a while. 

Meanwhile, two other people had become frustrated at not being able to catch Ranma. They had just arrived in Vermillion City at the same time Sam did and were very annoyed at having missed their target. They did find out where he was headed, when they questioned a few of the locals who had seen him leave. Apparently, he was on his way to Saffron City for a Marsh Badge. 

Somewhere along the road to Saffron City, Ranma had decided to stop for the night and give his Pokémon a chance to rest. He also wanted to congratulate the newest member of their group as well as make up with his Pikachu. 

"Aw, c'mon Raiden. You're still not sore at me for letting Sandslash fight that Raichu instead of you, are you?" 

"Pika." Raiden shook his head, but still didn't look at his trainer. The electric mouse wasn't really holding a grudge, but he had so wanted to show up the evolved form of its kind. 

"Hey c'mon now, Raiden, you're my best friend. All of you are my best friends." He waved a hand toward his other Pokémon, who were currently eating dinner. "Besides, even though Razor did a great job, he has you to thank for that win." 

"Pikachu?" Raiden looked up at Ranma as Razor trotted over to where they were. 

"Slash!" Razor nodded in agreement. 

Ranma also nodded. "I don't remember teaching Razor that Super Reflect maneuver when Raichu used its Thunder Wave attack, so I'm guessing you must have taught him that one. I'd say that Razor learned a lot from sparring with you." 

"Slash! Slash!" Razor replied in a happy tone as he held out a paw toward the electric mouse. 

Raiden's expression went from slightly irritated to a more relaxed manner as he gazed at the offered paw. 

Ranma smiled as he said, "Raiden, I promise that there will be a lot more battles for you, so don't worry about it. However, you do have to give the others a chance to test their skills too. Now you and Razor are going to be working together so it'll be good that you two get along, okay? We're all friends, right?" 

Raiden looked at the sincere expression of the Sandslash and then nodded, a smile coming to his face. He then shook paws with his fellow mouse as Ranma looked on. The martial artist smiled even wider. Things seemed to be going their way. 

  
Two days later… 

Wildfire whinnied as he came to the outskirts of a city. Ranma looked a bit confused as he unfolded his map. Raiden looked over his shoulder. 

"Pikachu?" 

"Whoops! Looks like we took a wrong turn somewhere. This isn't Saffron City." It was then that he looked up at the sign and read the name of place. "Crimson City?" He then looked back down at the map and grimaced. "Aw, nuts! We took the wrong exit down the highway! We missed the exit to Saffron City." Ranma frowned as he saw that they were at least a hundred miles off course. While blazing down the highway at a speed of 180 mph, Ranma had a hard time reading the road signs as they zipped by. Wildfire's endurance had increased dramatically since Ranma had started training him and he could maintain high velocities for hours now. 

The Pokémon trainer considered his options and then decided to stay for a day a two. He needed to stock up on supplies anyway and this was as good a place as any. He decided to recall Wildfire into his Pokéball to rest and then, he and Raiden headed into the city. 

As he entered, he was very surprised to see the similarities between Crimson City and a city in Japan. He could almost swear that he was in Tokyo. The people who were on the streets looked of Asian descent and the buildings had signs posted in Japanese as well as English. He could see public bathhouses, Japanese-style apartment complexes and other structures that reminded him of his home world. He could see street vendors and restaurants selling various items like sushi, rice plates, ramen and such. Ranma began to feel more at home as he took in the sights, sounds and smells of this place. He became really excited when he caught a whiff of a familiar and delicious scent. 

"Aw man! If I didn't know better, I'd swear that was…" Ranma took in a deep breath, then looked in a certain direction. "All right! It is! It's okonomiyaki!" He began running toward a restaurant that advertised a special okonomiyaki platter. 

Raiden wondered why his trainer was so excited, then he sniffed the air and smelled the smell of Japanese-style pizza and his stomach growled. The electric rodent followed Ranma into the restaurant. 

  
Half an hour later, in the city's park, Ranma was rubbing his full belly and leaned back into the bench. Beside him were his Pokémon as they enjoyed the takeout okonomiyaki that Ranma had gotten for them. Since the area where he was sitting was relatively empty at the time, not too many people noticed the young trainer and his Pokémon. 

"Pika!" The Pikachu had never tasted anything quite like it, but the vegetarian okonomiyaki certainly agreed with Raiden. The others were also finding the Japanese cuisine to be very satisfying. The food even met with Razor's approval. 

"Mmmm, now that hit the spot!" Ranma smiled. "The restaurant makes a pretty good okonomiyaki." He then thought back to the good old days with his childhood friend Ukyo. _Of course, nobody could make okonomiyaki like Ucchan and his dad!_ The pigtailed martial artist sighed as he remembered how sad he was when he had to have left him. _I never figured out why we had Ucchan's cart though…_

Ranma shrugged as he watched the sun begin to set toward the horizon. After waiting for his Pokémon to finish dinner, he then got up and recalled his Pokémon back into their Pokéballs, before heading towards the city's Pokémon Center. As he walked through the park with Raiden on his shoulder, he then noticed a large crowd had gathered near the park fountain. Wondering what was going on, he decided to investigate. 

It turned out to be a Pokémon battle involving a young girl in a kimono, and her opponent, a teenage boy dressed in samurai garb with a Marowak. What was the most surprising thing about this girl was that she was using a Bellsprout to battle the bone Pokémon. 

*MAROWAK, THE BONE POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF CUBONE. MAROWAK'S BONE CLUB ATTACKS ARE VERY STRONG AND CAN THROW IT LIKE A BOOMERANG.*

Ranma then turned his Pokédex toward the Bellsprout. 

*BELLSPROUT, A PLANT POKÉMON OF THE POISON TYPE. IT OFTEN USES GROWTH TO POWER UP ITS SPECIAL ATTACKS. DESPITE ITS FRAIL APPEARANCE, BELLSPROUT CAN BE VERY STONG IN BATTLE.* 

Jeanette Fisher smiled as she watched her Bellsprout evade that bone club attacks of its opponent, a Marowak. The trainer of the Marowak was getting frustrated as his Pokémon had yet to score a single hit on the seemingly absurd plant. He then cried out in shock as the Bellsprout suddenly used its leaf arms to grab hold of Marowak and toss him over in a shoulder throw. Marowak slammed headfirst into the ground and was then repeatedly slammed again and again. The plant Pokémon then put Marowak into an airplane spin and tossed it into the fountain with a huge splash. 

"Marowak!" The boy rushed over to where his Marowak was and fished him out. As he cradled his Pokémon, he looked back at the girl who was wearing a smug smile. 

"Don't underestimate your opponent just because he doesn't look strong Atoshi. Looks I win again." Jeanette said. 

Atoshi was very annoyed at her attitude, but he had to respect her for training a Bellsprout to fight like that. He gave her a nod and said, "For today, the battle is yours. But Marowak and I will be back to challenge you again. We will win next time!" 

"I look forward to it." Jeanette replied as she watched her opponent leave with his Pokémon. The crowd gave her and Bellsprout a round of applause as the fight was concluded. 

Ranma nodded. He had recognized the maneuvers that Bellsprout had used. The plant Pokémon had used a modified Akido fighting style, which turned its opponent's size and strength against it. As Ranma thought about it, the more it made sense for Bellsprout to use. Since Bellsprout lacked size and overall hitting power, it was better off letting its opponents attack and then use the energy against them. 

_Not bad! Looks like I'm not the only one who teaches Pokémon how to use martial arts. I wonder if she's any good in the martial arts? She is cute._ Ranma couldn't help but notice how pretty the girl was with her long violet hair, which was done up in a geisha style with two long tresses moved forward. She had her hair tied up in a yellow bow and wore a light red kimono. She looked to be about a year younger than he was. It was then that he realized that he had been staring too long as Jeanette started walking toward him. 

"So did you enjoy the match?" Jeanette asked. 

Ranma was jolted back to reality as he stuttered a bit in answering her. "Uh, yes! That was impressive. That was Akido, right?" 

"That's right." Jeanette nodded as she assessed Ranma. "My name is Jeanette Fisher. So, are you interested in a match? After competing in the Indigo League, my Pokémon need to train so we can be ready for next year. I was about to set out on a Pokémon journey, but I thought to get in a few matches for practice." 

"Pikachu!" 

Ranma smirked as he looked on his shoulder. "Well, it looks like Raiden here would like to try his luck against your Bellsprout." 

Jeanette gave Raiden a sweet smile as she replied, "All right. But I have to warn you, I doubt any of your Pikachu's attacks will be effective against my Bellsprout." 

Raiden became a bit put off by the comment, but Ranma gave an off-handed wave and replied with a smirk, "Thanks for the warning, but I think we can still give you a good match." He then glanced at the Pikachu on his shoulder and winked at him. "Right Raiden?" 

Raiden returned the wink and then leapt down to face off against Bellsprout. The crowd waited in anticipation for the two Pokémon to battle. 

"Ready, Raiden?" 

"Pikachu!" Raiden powered up his electric sacs. 

"That won't work." Jeanette stated. This was exactly what Ash Ketchum's Pikachu had tried in the Indigo League. 

"Pika… CHU!" The Pikachu let loose with a sizzling bolt of electricity at the plant, which struck Bellsprout dead on. However, when the blast ended, Bellsprout was still standing. 

Jeanette giggled as she said, "Bellsprout's roots act as grounding elements and disperse electricity into the ground. There's no way your electric rodent can shock it." She then turned to her Pokémon. "BELLSPROUT! RAZOR LEAF!" 

The plant Pokémon swung its leaf arms in an arc and the two leaves shot forward like deadly shuriken. Raiden nimbly ducked under the two leaves, which spun past him. The crowd parted behind him to avoid being sliced. The leaves cut into a steel lamppost, causing it to topple over. It was then that Raiden rushed forward and began delivering punches and kicks at the Bellsprout. As what had happened in the Indigo League, Bellsprout weaved and swayed to avoid each of Raiden's strikes. 

Jeanette became smug as she watched the Pikachu fail to hit his opponent. She then decided to end the match by nodding to her Bellsprout to deliver the final blow. As if history was repeating itself, Bellsprout lifted one of its root legs and swung it toward Raiden's head. She was about to shout out in victory when the unthinkable happened, causing her to gasp in shock. 

"Bell… sprout?" 

Ranma smirked. 

There was Bellsprout standing on one leg while its other leg was being held captive in Raiden's paws. The electric rodent grinned evilly and then used leverage to pull Bellsprout off the ground and slam it to the ground. 

"Pika! Pika! Pika!" 

**WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!**

Jeanette watched in disbelief as he Bellsprout was flipped like a flapjack. She then looked up at Ranma with confusion as her Pokémon was continually slammed to the ground. 

Ranma shrugged as he said, "Oh, I forgot to mention. Raiden also knows how to do Akido. By the way, your Bellsprout's fighting style is impressive, but it does have one fatal flaw." He gestured to Raiden. "RAIDEN! ANYTHING GOES!" 

Raiden was still holding onto Bellsprout's root when he put the plant into an airplane spin and sent it flying high into the air. The plant Pokémon was still dazed from its beating when Raiden leapt up thirty feet and demonstrated the specialty of the Saotome School of the Anything Goes Martial Arts. Raiden seemed to defy gravity as he let loose with a torrent of punches and kicks at Bellsprout. The plant was pounded mercilessly as its Akido training was made useless. With no leverage to use its throwing techniques, not to mention being tossed about in midair like a leaf in a storm, Jeanette's Pokémon didn't stand a chance. 

Jeanette was still shocked as she saw her Bellsprout land unconscious onto the ground. Ranma's Pikachu landed on its feet and raised a paw in victory. The crowd were silent for a few moments, then gave off a loud cheer. 

"Pikachu!" The electric mouse then bowed respectfully to his downed opponent, before returning to his master's side. 

"H-H-How did you…?" Jeanette was flabbergasted. 

Ranma smirked as he said, "Akido works best when you happen to have both feet, or roots on the ground. But in the air, it's almost useless. Midair combat happens to be one of Raiden's specialties." 

"Pika!" Raiden affirmed. 

Ranma nodded as he walked away from Jeanette with a wave and a smile. "We had a good match. See ya around." Without another word, Ranma went off to find the Pokémon center to get some rest and have his Pokémon treated. 

Jeanette ran up to her fallen Bellsprout and was relieved to see that her Pokémon was all right and would eventually recover. As she cradled it in her arms, she looked at the retreating figure of Ranma and began to wonder about him. This bore looking into. 

  
Meanwhile, somewhere near the outskirts of Saffron City… 

"He's not here, boss!" One of the members of the new Team Rocket remarked into his communicator. 

"Well if he's not there, then he's not heading your way." Giovanni replied as he spoke from the console in his private office. "There were sightings of a Rapidash and his rider heading down Highway 48, but our spies lost sight of him when he hit the turnpike. We don't know where he is now." 

"So now what boss?" The other member asked. 

"There isn't anything we can do but keep an eye out for him. For the moment, I'm putting you two on another assignment. You two are to head for Crimson City and steal all the fighting-type Pokémon at the gym. They happen to have very strong Machop that we can use." 

"Right boss!" Both signed off as they left. 

The very next day, Ranma had decided to tour Crimson City before setting out toward Saffron City. As he made his way toward the center of the metropolitan areas, he came across a building that was in fact… a dojo! He looked up and read the sign. 

"Crimson City Pokémon Gym and Dojo. See gym leader Zora for a Rising Sun Badge and martial arts lessons. This is great!" 

"Pika?" Raiden asked. 

"We can get a badge and I can get some good practice at the same time!" Ranma was ecstatic at finally getting a chance to go up against the martial artists of this world. Sparring with his Pokémon was good training, but he really wanted to test his skills against real martial artists. Beating up Team Rocket had been fun, but that didn't count as martial arts training. Without hesitation, Ranma entered the building with Raiden following close behind. 

He found himself in a large open area and saw that a practice match was going on. A crowd of students was sitting in a circle around a large mat. In the center of the circle, two students, both dressed in white practice gi, were going at each other as their head instructor watched on from the sidelines. The woman was tall and looked to be in her mid-thirties. Ranma could tell that she had considerable skill in the martial arts, judging by her stance. She had very pleasant features and had violet hair tied up in a bun. He could also see that several of the students had their Pokémon with them. Several Pokémon in particular caught his attention. They were standing right beside the instructor and watching the match. 

*MACHOP, A FIGHTING-TYPE POKÉMON. ITS BODY IS MADE OF PURE MUSCLE AND ITS SPECIAL ATTACK IS THE SEISMIC TOSS. THEY ARE EXTREMELY AGILE AND CAN DODGE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED ATTACKS. MACHOP ARE WELL-KNOWN FOR THEIR MASTERY IN THE MARTIAL ARTS AND ARE OFTEN USED FOR TO HELP INSTRUCTORS TRAIN THEIR STUDENTS.*

The pigtailed martial artist smiled at the thought of having such a Pokémon to spar with. Ranma watched with interest as the two students sparred with one another. His eyes widened as he saw that one of the combatants was Jeanette! He became very fascinated as the girl danced around her opponent, then grabbed him by the front of his gi. With a fluid motion, she tossed him over her shoulder and the boy made an audible splat when he hit the mat on his back. 

"Ooooh! I'm done." The boy moaned. 

The other students, the Machop and their instructor began applauding as Jeanette bowed to her fallen opponent. As the boy was being carried off by two of his friends, she then looked up and saw Ranma standing near the entrance. She turned to the instructor and said in an excited voice. 

"Mother! It's him!" 

The woman looked down at her daughter with a stern look. "Jeanette! How many times have I have told you to call me sensei while training?" 

Jeanette nodded as she replied in more respectful tone. "Forgive me sensei, but that boy over there." The girl pointed to Ranma. "He's the one I told you about yesterday." 

Everyone looked in the direction that she was gesturing and Ranma timidly held up a hand. "Er… hi there. I'm looking for Zora." 

The woman nodded as she walked up to Ranma and smiled. "I am Zora Fisher, the martial arts instructor and Pokémon gym leader. Are you here to challenge for a Rising Sun Badge or do you wish to sign op for martial arts training?" 

"Well, actually I would like to do both. I'm Ranma Saotome" Ranma was a little distracted at the fact that the gym leader was a woman, but he fought down the urge to say that he didn't fight females. After all this time, Ranma had developed a little more tact. "I'd like to battle for a badge and maybe spar a bit with your students." 

"Hmmm…" Zora looked at the boy before her and assessed him. Judging by his well-toned musculature and his casual, yet ready stance, she could tell that he was no slouch in the fighting arts. According to what her daughter had told her about him, he would have to be knowledgeable in unarmed combat to have taught his Pikachu to counter her Bellsprout's attacks. The fact that he was very handsome didn't hurt either. _I just may have found someone for Jeanette! Interesting…_ "My daughter has told me of how you had defeated her Bellsprout with a Pikachu. You must be very skilled to have taught it to defend against Bellsprout's Akido." 

Ranma blushed a bit at the praise, then felt his pride rising. "Well, I don't want to brag but I am pretty good." Ranma began to get uncomfortable under her appraising stare and quickly changed the subject. "So how about that match?" 

"Very well. I would very much like to see your skills as a Pokémon trainer and martial artist." She gestured to her students to the sides. The young boys and girls went off to take a seat along the walls of the dojo Her daughter went off to one end, and was joined by her mother shortly after. Ranma went to the opposite corner. 

"We shall have a two-on-two battle, young man. In the Crimson City Gym and Dojo, we pride ourselves on the strength of the trainers as well as their Pokémon. Not only do you need to defeat my strongest Pokémon, but also my strongest student. Are you ready?" 

Ranma nodded, as he stood ready with his Pikachu. 

"Jeanette!" Zora gestured to her daughter who stepped forward and took a stance. 

"I'm supposed to fight… her?" Once again, Ranma's uneasiness against fighting girls came back to him. 

"What's the matter? Afraid that you'll lose to a girl?" Jeanette sneered as she went into a series of graceful high kicks and spins. 

"Well…" Ranma was a bit of a loss at he tried to think up a way to say that he didn't fight girls. Unfortunately, his hesitation was seen as a sign of cowardice. 

"You are the one who issued the challenge, Ranma Saotome. Now, will you fight her, or will you admit defeat?" 

Ranma winced then nodded reluctantly. If he wanted a Rising Sun Badge, then he would have to comply. Besides, Ranma never backed down from anything, and he wasn't going to start now. He still had a sense of pride and his honor to uphold. With a tired sigh, he gestured to his Pikachu to stay back as he stepped forward and assumed a stance. 

The two faced each other off and waited. 

"Begin!" 

Instantly, Jeanette went into a barrage of fast punches, followed by a low sweep kick. Ranma easily evaded the attacks as he began assessing his opponent's skill level. He saw that Jeanette was a very intense fighter and seemed to be proficient in several styles. She had nowhere near the speed, skill or agility that he had, but she did not telegraph her moves, and seemed to have better than average endurance. Ranma couldn't bring himself to counter her attacks and continued to just dodge. 

"What are you doing? Don't just keep dodging! Attack me!" Jeanette was getting annoyed at how Ranma was casually evading each of her moves. She tried a straight punch to the face, but Ranma made a light hop over it and seemed to hang in the air for a few seconds. He extended a finger and pointed at her forehead. 

"Are you sure you want me to attack?" 

Jeanette's eyes crossed for a moment at the finger, before he returned to the ground. Irritated that Ranma could get so easily within her defense, she then grabbed the front of his shirt and tried to throw him over her shoulder in a judo toss. 

Unfortunately for her, Ranma had let her grab his shirt as he reversed the throw and Jeanette found herself flying through the air. She landed on her rear with a thump. A moment later, she rubbed her sore posterior and got up to face against Ranma again. She charged at him and began throwing more punches and kicks, but he once again evaded them all. By now, Jeanette was getting steamed. 

On the sidelines, Zora shook her head as she saw that her daughter was losing her patience. On the other hand, Ranma was showing exceptional skill and control as he continued to evade Jeanette's blows. She then saw that Jeanette was going to try for a suicidal lunge. 

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Bellsprout's trainer flew forward with a straight punch, but Ranma simply jumped over the fist and her, made a simple flip and was behind her. He then extended a finger and gave the back of her head a gentle nudge. 

"Stop!" 

Jeanette whirled around to attack Ranma again, but halted when she heard her mother's voice. She looked over to Zora, who gave her a serious expression and a nod. She was a little confused but then realized that Ranma had won the match. She reluctantly took a neutral stance and bowed to her opponent. When she looked up at him again, he was giving her a friendly smile. 

"That was a good match. You're not half-bad." He then let off a small chuckle. 

Jeanette was still a bit irritated but had to admit that he was better than she was. He could have easily have knocked her out instead of just tapping her head with his index finger. She continued to look at him and soon his laughter became contagious. She was soon chuckling along with him. 

Ranma couldn't help but notice that she looked really cute when she was laughing. 

A few minutes later, Ranma was again facing off against Zora as she and Jeanette stood at the other end of the dojo. 

"I must say, that was quite impressive, Ranma Saotome. You are indeed an exceptional martial artist. Now let us see if you are just as good in training Pokémon. Machop, I choose you!" She gestured to the Pokémon that was out in front group. 

The fighting Pokémon stepped up, took a battle stance and waited. 

Ranma looked down at Raiden and gave him the go ahead. 

"Pika!" Raiden stepped forward and assumed a stance. 

"MACHOP! MEGA-KICK!" 

"Machop!" The fighting Pokémon charged at the yellow rodent and went into a flying kick. 

Raiden leapt up to evade the attack. Machop's foot plowed into the floor. As he was still airborne, the Pikachu let loose with an electric bolt. However, just as the bolt reached Machop, it easily sidestepped the lightning, which passed by harmlessly. 

Ranma's eyes narrowed as he saw Raiden's attack miss. Apparently Machop had exceptional reflexes. Raiden then tried several shock attacks in a row, and every one of them was skillfully evaded. 

Zora smiled as she said, "Your Pikachu can't shock my Machop. I have trained him to anticipate his enemy's attacks and he can dodge just about anything that is thrown at him. MACHOP, ATTACK!" 

The Machop charged in and started giving high-impact punches and kicks. Ranma's Pikachu found himself hard-pressed to block and evade the blows and a few managed to lightly connect. 

_Whoa! That Machop is really good! He'd make a good sparring partner. I've never seen any other Pokémon be able to keep up with Raiden like this!_ Ranma looked closely and saw Raiden trying to get in close and power up his cheek pouches again. He then noticed how Machop was looking at his opponent and saw that the fighting Pokémon was studying his Pikachu's electric sacs. _So that's it. Raiden's sparking electric attacks are a dead giveaway. Machop is watching those sparks to warn him. Okay, so he can anticipate Raiden's electric attacks by the way his cheeks are flashing. I guess that's how he can anticipate another Pokémon's moves._ Ranma smirked as he watched as Machop evaded a bolt of electricity at close range and delivered a hard elbow toward Raiden's head. The Pikachu was just barely able to roll with the blow. 

"Okay, if electric attacks won't work, then how about this? RAIDEN, MOKO TAKABISHA!" 

Raiden leapt back out of Machop's reach then began focusing his energy. A moment later, he released a small blue ball of ki energy from his paws. 

"Chop?" Machop was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a projectile that he had never seen before and didn't have time to react. The ki blast slammed into the Pokémon and sent it sprawling back. It managed to stay on its feet, but Raiden wasn't going to give it a chance to recover. Charging forward, the Pikachu leapt up and began raining fast punches to its upper body. Machop's body trembled and jerked as Raiden scored several high-powered hits in rapid succession. It hadn't expected a Pikachu was able to hit so hard. 

The spectators were totally in awe at what had just happened. Two people in particular were totally stunned. 

"Mother, what was that?" 

Zora was so shocked at how Raiden had fired off something that looked like a psychic attack that she did not reprimand her daughter for calling her mother. "I'm… not sure, but it looked like a psychic attack!" 

"A psychic attack? From a Pikachu?" 

"No, wait… that may be… a ki blast!" 

"Ki? You mean… like in those old stories that you told me about?" 

"Yes, child. Ki is the fundamental energy of all living things and it has been said that it can augment a person's physical abilities. But I never imagined that it could be used outside of the body!" 

Ranma smirked when he heard this. Apparently, this world's martial artists had yet to discover about focusing ki outside the body. They probably didn't have more than the basic idea about ki. Ranma winced while smiling as Raiden grabbed one of Machop's arms and used a judo technique to swing it above his head several times before sending it flying across the dojo. 

**WHUMP!**

Machop landed painfully on its belly on the floor. It moaned, as the injuries from Raiden's earlier attacks began to register. It slowly got to its feet, but it was pretty dizzy from the spinning and feeling lots of pain at the moment. By this time, Raiden was powering up his aura for the final attack. 

"RAIDEN, FINAL ATTACK! THUNDER…" 

**KABOOM!**

Before Ranma could give the order for Raiden to finish off Machop, a sidewall was suddenly blown out and huge clouds of smoke came billowing in. In the confusion, Raiden stopped powering up. All of a sudden, projectiles began shooting into the dojo through the hole and exploding, and releasing weighted nets and ropes. The students, the Pokémon and the Fisher family found themselves becoming tangled and trapped. The entire group became a huge writhing mass. 

Ranma barely managed to evade the netting and he swept up his Pikachu in his arms. As the smoke cleared, he began hearing some kind of background music and moaned at its familiarity. 

_Oh no! Not again!_

Two figures stepped out of the clouds of smoke and struck a pose. One was a man who had short brown hair and a medium build. The other was a girl with red hair done up in a long braid. Both were wearing dark blue uniforms with large red R's on their chests. 

Zora and her daughter managed to get to a position to see who they were. Jeanette's mother was very angry at this unexpected attack on her dojo and said, "Who are you? What do you want?" 

"Here comes trouble!" The girl announced. 

"And you can bet that it will double!" He partner affirmed. 

"To subject the world through devastation!" 

"To conquer all people within the nation!" 

"To make it impossible for truth and love!" 

"To rule the Earth with an iron glove!" 

"Bonnie!" 

"Clyde!" 

"Team Rocket, here to destroy all hope and light!" 

"Surrender now or fall before our might!" 

"Golbat!" A bat Pokémon came hovering in and landed on Clyde's shoulder. Then duo laughed as they saw their catch. 

"Well, just look at all the Machop we caught. Not to mention the other Pokémon too." 

"The boss is going to give us a huge bonus for this!" Bonnie called back toward the huge hole in the wall. "All right guys, load up all the Pokémon!" 

Ten men came storming through the hole with electrified stun batons and Pokéballs. They began making their way through the nets, using their batons to keep the students away from their Pokémon. One by one, the Pokémon were forcefully gathered up into the Pokéballs. Any resistance from the students or the Pokémon was met with electric shocks. 

Jeanette and Zora watched in horror and disbelief as their Machop were being taken away from them. The Machop that had been battling Ranma's Pikachu was in especially bad shape. Jeanette managed to move over toward it, but she was roughly pushed away by a pair of Team Rocket men. 

"You won't get away with this!" Jeanette said defiantly. 

"Oh yeah?" Bonnie sneered. "And who's going to stop us?" 

As if on cue, two bright blue balls of energy shot out from the other side of the dojo, slamming into the two men that had shoved Jeanette. The two toughs were sent hurtling back and out the hole in the wall, just barely missing Bonnie and Clyde. 

"What the…?!" 

"Who did that?!" 

Everyone turned their heads to where the blasts came from and their eyes widened in amazement. The raining smoke from the initial explosion had finally cleared, leaving the impressive sight of Ranma and Raiden walking toward them with battle auras blazing. Both had stern expressions on their faces that gave the impression that there was going to be some serious pain to be dealt out. 

"Who… are… you?" Bonnie asked. 

"Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of the Anything Goes Martial Arts." Ranma growled as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation. 

_Anything Goes? Never heard of that one before._ Jeanette and her mother were rooted to the spot as they watched Ranma and his Pikachu boldly walk toward their foe, regardless of the fact that they were outnumbered and unarmed. 

"Ranma Saotome?" Clyde repeated then became more excited. "Hey! We got two birds with one stone! The boss is looking for this guy!" 

"Well, now that does save us the trouble of hunting you down Ranma Saotome." Bonnie sneered as she held up a Pokéball. "If you know what's good for you, you'll surrender yourself and your Pokémon and come with us!" 

"I don't think so. If you want me, you'll have to beat me and my Pokémon." 

"Suit yourself. Cloyster, I…oof!" 

"Pikachu!" 

Before Bonnie was able to throw her Pokéball forward, Raiden sped forward and rammed her in the gut, forcing her to go flying out the hole in the wall. 

"Bonnie…!" 

**WHAM!**

In less than a heartbeat, Ranma crossed the distance between then and delivered a haymaker that sent Clyde through the hole after his partner. Golbat was started off its perch and Ranma batted him outside as well. 

"GET HIM!" 

Ranma turned at the shout and saw the other Team Rocket flunkies rush toward him with their stun batons. Ranma smirked as he leapt into the fray and began giving them a demonstration of his martial arts skills. 

"OH!" 

"YOW!" 

"OW!" 

"OUCH!" 

"OWIE!" 

**WHAM! POW! SMACK! CRASH!"**

On the floor, the Machop that had fought Pikachu stared in awe at the sheer power and skill of Raiden's trainer. He became especially interested when Ranma cupped his hands at his waist, pulled back and began focusing his ki. He then thrust his hands forward. 

  
"EAT MY WIND CANNON!" 

"Wind Cannon?!" Jeanette eeped. 

A huge blast of compressed air shot from Ranma's palms and impacted against the men, knocking them over like dominoes. They crashed through another wall and were all rendered unconscious in a pile of rubble outside of the building. 

Ranma then took out a Pokéball. "Cut them loose, Razor!" 

The Pokéball opened up and the Sandslash immediately set to work in freeing the students and the instructor. Ranma then ran out with Raiden to finish off the leaders of the group. 

What they didn't know was that one of the stun batons that had been dropped by Bonnie and Clyde's men had developed a short circuit and had rolled near some discarded towels. The weapon began to spark and soon, one spark caused a dry towel to catch fire. It wasn't long before the fire began to spread. 

Outside the building, Clyde and Bonnie had just recovered when Ranma and Raiden came running out of the gym. Wasting no time, they called forth their Pokémon. 

"GOLBAT, SCREECH ATTACK!" 

The bat Pokémon swooped down and let off a piercing scream that cause Ranma to become dizzy as the soundwaves began disrupting his equilibrium. He knelt down on the ground and looked up at the Golbat. Reaching to his belt, he plucked out a Pokéball and threw it forward. 

"WIND RIDER, COUNTER WITH SONIC WING!" 

The Pidgeotto burst forth from the Pokéball and began flapping his wings furiously while focusing his ki and hovering. Then suddenly, the bird brought his wings forward at such a fast rate that he broke the sound barrier, causing a focused sonic boom to be emitted against Golbat's Screech Attack. The soundwaves caused nearby windows to be shattered as the bat Pokémon's scream was drowned out. Accompanying the sonic boom was a massive blast of compressed air and Golbat was sent hurtling back. 

Bonnie gulped as she urged her Cloyster forward. 

"CLOYSTER, WATER GUN ATTACK!" 

Wind Rider was far from finished as he dived down and launched twin blasts of compressed air from his wings to blow the water stream away from Ranma and Raiden. It was then that Ranma noticed something about his Pidgeotto. His eyes were glowing. 

_What the…? Can it be? Did Pidgeotto figure out a way to fire off his own ki?_

Ranma got his answer as Wind Rider squawked and let loose with two slender beams of energy at the Cloyster, just as it was about to close its shell in defense. It wasn't fast enough and the beams struck its tender and soft inner body. Cloyster let off a scream of pain as it was blasted back. Wind Rider followed through with another compressed blast of air, knocking the clam into a nearby grove of trees. The clam let off a whimper and then was unconscious. 

"Uh oh." Clyde said as he realized that they were now defenseless. 

Ranma grinned as he watched his bird land beside him. "Way to go, Wind Rider. I didn't know you could do that." 

"Pidgooo!" Wind Rider was quite pleased with himself at the moment. After watching Ranma and his two mice Pokémon develop their ki blasts, the Pidgeotto had decided to create his own technique. Like his trainer, Wind Rider had taken his own initiative and it had paid off. 

"Now then…" Ranma cracked his knuckles as he and his Pokémon advanced on their adversaries. 

Razor had just finished freeing Zora and Jeanette when his sensitive nose picked up something. He looked back and saw that a fire had begun near the far wall and was starting to eat away at a couple of support timbers. 

"Slash! Slash!" The Sandslash redoubled his efforts to get the others free before they found themselves trapped inside a burning building. 

Outside of the dojo, Bonnie and Clyde were not in good shape. They had seen their lives flash before their eyes for about two seconds before Ranma and Raiden were upon them. In less time it took to tell, Ranma had beaten Clyde to a bruised and bloody pulp, while Raiden had repeatedly shocked Bonnie senseless. As Ranma held up the battered Clyde by the collar, he started to smell smoke. 

"Everyone outside, now!" Zora screamed. 

Ranma and his Pikachu turned around to see Zora and her students race out of the building with their Pokémon. He was relieved to see that Razor had escaped along with them. Just in time too as the hole they came out of collapsed behind them. He also saw that the top portion of the dojo blazing away and he could hear fire sirens in the distance. 

"Is everyone all right?" The instructor asked as she made a fast head count. She smiled as she saw that all of her students and their Pokémon. But then her daughter screamed in alarm. 

"Mother! One of our Machop is missing!" 

Zora looked at the group of Machop and became alarmed as she realized that she was one short. It was the same one that had been injured in its battle with Raiden. In all of the confusion, her Machop had gotten lost in the scramble to escape. "Oh no! He must still be inside!" 

"I'll get him!" Ranma declared as he rushed toward the building. Seeing that the entrance was now blocked, he ran around the side and used the other hole to gain entry. Unfortunately, as he rushed through the opening, the hole also collapsed in on itself, sealing him inside the burning gym. His Pikachu and Pidgeotto were prevented from following their trainer. 

Ranma coughed as he made his way through the smoke and heat. He saw Machop lying prone on the floor and ran over toward him. Bending down, he assessed the Pokémon's condition and then slung it over his shoulder. He began to frantically look around for a way out, but there seemed to be no exit. He then decided to gamble. 

"WILDFIRE, I CHOOSE YOU!" 

The Rapidash let off a whinny and reared on its hind legs. Ranma leapt onto his back and directed him toward a relatively undamaged section of wall. 

"BLAZING HORN CHARGE! GET US OUT OF HERE!" 

Wildfire immediately charged at the wall, its aura blazing around it, creating protective barrier to absorb the flames that threatened its passengers. Lowering the horn and hardening it to diamond density, the fire horse streaked at the wall like a shooting star. 

Outside the gym, fire fighters and police were on the scene and Officer Jenny was busy talking to Zora to assess the situation. 

"He ran back in there?!" 

"Yes, he went to save one of my Machop, but…" 

Suddenly there was a huge explosion, and firefighters pulled back, thinking that the fire had reached a gas main. However, a section of wall was blown outward and a fiery steed shot forward from the conflagration. It skidded to a halt and reared back on its legs before powering down its aura, revealing a dirty, and slightly singed, but otherwise unharmed Ranma and Machop. The martial arts let off a whoop of triumph and held his hand up with fingers in a victory V. 

Raiden let off a happy sound as he began bounding toward his master. 

"Ma… Chop." 

Ranma looked down at the Pokémon in his arms as it gave him a happy smile before the Machop slipped back into unconsciousness. 

After Bonnie, Clyde and the rest of their group were carted off to jail, the grateful Zora and Jeanette invited Ranma to be their guest at their home while they waited for their Machop to heal at the Pokémon Center. At first Ranma had tried to turn them down, but they insisted that it was a matter of honor that they repay their debt to him. After they had pleaded with him for a while, Ranma finally accepted their offer to stay for a few days. 

Ranma found that staying with the Fishers was quite enjoyable as he got to rest from his long journey and enjoy Zora's home-cooked meals, the first he ever had in a long time. Jeanette would always pester him about how he trained his Pokémon and his special martial arts techniques. Of course, Ranma would politely turn her down, but this only made her even more persistent. As a result, Ranma had started sparring with her as well as his Pokémon. He also found it very good practice when he trained with Zora as well as her group of Machop. When the injured Machop had healed, Ranma was more than eager to try his skills against Pikachu's opponent. He wasn't disappointed. 

  
A week later… 

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Ranma said as he hefted his backpack and prepared to mount Wildfire. 

"Pikachu." Raiden waved to Zora as he hopped onto his place on top of Ranma's pack. 

"It was an honor having you as our guest, Ranma Saotome." Zora said as she shook Ranma's hand. "If there's anything that we can do to repay you…" 

"There is, Mother." Jeanette said as she walked up to them. She was wearing a red T-shirt, denim cutoff shorts, white socks and running shoes. She also had a backpack. Behind her was Machop, who had completely recovered from the fire. "Machop here… would like to go with Ranma." 

"Machop!" The fighting Pokémon nodded vigorously as he approached the fire horse. 

Ranma looked down at the martial arts Pokémon. It was tempting. It was so very tempting. Still, it wasn't his and it already had a home at the Crimson City Gym, which was being rebuilt at this very moment. Bonnie and Clyde had been arrested with their group and all the Pokémon had been returned to their owners. Once again, he had gotten offers from Officer Jenny to stick around, but it was time for him to move on. "Thank you, but…" 

"Machop! Machop!" The Pokémon shook his head and pointed to Ranma's Pokéballs. 

"It looks like Machop isn't going to take no for an answer." Zora laughed. "I don't blame him. After seeing you spar with him for the last three days, I can see why he wants to go with you to train. You are an exceptional martial artist and I think he would become even stronger if you were his trainer. Heaven knows, I couldn't train him to do all those attacks." 

Ranma smiled. It had been fun staying with the Fisher family after they had offered to put him up for a few days. Sparring with the Machop was great and Ranma had found himself wishing he had such a Pokémon of his own. Now they were offering one. Ranma shook his head while smiling and said to the Pokémon, "Are you sure you want to be with me, Machop? I mean, it's pretty hard out there and I gotta warn ya, I'm a really tough trainer." 

"Machop!" 

Pikachu!" Raiden nodded his assent as Ranma removed a Pokéball from his belt. He then activated it and opened it up. Machop let off a happy sound as he was sucked into the Pokéball. 

Ranma smiled as he replaced the device onto his belt. "Don't worry Machop, I'll take care of you." 

"I'm sure you will." Zora smiled as she also handed Ranma something else. "Oh yes, here is something else for you." 

Ranma looked down at the shiny object in his hand. It was square and metallic which depicted a red sun with rays coming out of it. The coveted Rising Sun Badge. 

"In recognition of a great martial artist as well as a Pokémon trainer." 

Ranma bowed his head and replied, "Thank you Zora-sensei." He pocketed the badge and mounted his horse. Giving the Fisher a final wave, I guess time that I should be going." 

"Yes, we should be going now." Jeanette said as she took out a Pokéball. 

"Excuse me? What do you mean by, we?" Ranma became a bit nervous at this. 

"I'm going with you." Jeanette said a matter-of-factly. "You still owe me a match and besides, I think we can teach other a few things, right?" Jeanette batted her eyebrows at him. 

Ranma gulped as he quickly turned his mount and said in a hurried voice, "UhwellsorrybutIprefertotravelalone.It'sniceofyoutooffer,andI'mreallyflattered.HoweverIdon'twanttokeepyoufromyou'reownjourneysoI'llbeonmyway.See ya!" 

"Come back here, you baka!" Jeanette threw out her Pokéball, just as Ranma sped off into the distance in a big hurry. The Pokéball opened up to reveal… another Rapidash. Soon Jeanette was also racing off into the sunset. 

Zora chuckled as she watched her daughter give chase. _Ah young love! I'm glad that my little Jeanette is finally getting more out of life that just training._ She had noticed how her daughter had become attracted to Ranma during his stay with them. The way she looked at him whenever he sparred and how he seemed to make her laugh always brought a tear to her eye. Now, Jeanette was more alive than she had ever been since returning from the Indigo League. She had been so serious in training that she had pretty much isolated herself. Now she had a reason to live more fully. Zora had also grown quite fond of the boy herself. 

_Hmmm, Ranma Fisher. I think I like the sound of that._

Author's Notes

Well, as expected, Ranma now has a martial arts Pokémon. I hope the added scenes helped clear up some of the gaps in this chapter. In any case, Ranma may have just gotten himself a new traveling buddy, though that's only if she can catch him. As for those of you, who are wondering if Sam will ever catch up to Ranma, don't worry, she will. Though Jeanette may have some other ideas.


	10. Chapter 10: Wildfire Gets Wilder

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: I think we know the drill by now.

Italic: Thoughts  
* *: Pokédex Responses

**

Chapter 10

**

Wildfire Gets Wilder

  


"Where are we?" Ranma said aloud as he looked at the map. It had been about five days since he left Crimson City. He had used that time to start training his new Machop. The martial arts Pokémon had taken to the Anything Goes style like a fish to water. Sparring with him was also good training and the other Pokémon seemed to get along very nicely with their newest member, whom he named Bruiser. Machop had earned that name after he actually managed to catch Ranma in midair and put him into a Seismic Toss. Fortunately, after all the training Ranma had done with the other Pokémon, he had survived Machop's strongest attack. The Pokémon's best moves consisted of grappling maneuvers and throws, but the Machop also proved to be very adaptable at the Saotome style of aerial combat and ki techniques. 

Ranma continued to stare at the map and had thought that he and his Rapidash had made an error in navigation again. It wasn't easy reading road signs when his mode of transport was moving at an average speed of over 175-mph. It was made even worse due to Wildfire's tendency to race against any fast moving cars, planes and such. His Pokédex had informed him that Rapidash were like that and they loved speed contests. They would race against anything that was fast just for the thrill of it. 

This time was different however. When they had gotten back on the highway, they had encountered some construction crew doing repair work and had to make a detour. Then all of a sudden, Wildfire had put on a burst of speed and started galloping off in a new direction. Now they were overlooking a vast area of plains and rolling hills. Checking his map, Ranma discerned that he was somewhere near the Safari Zone. He wondered just why his Rapidash seemed so excited to be here and seemed to feel right at home.

Before he had a chance to ponder it some more, he and his Rapidash had begun to feel an ominous rumbling noise. The ground began to shake as Ranma pulled back on the reins to steady his steed. On his backpack, Raiden clung tight to keep from falling off.

"Whoa! Steady Wildfire! Easy does it!"

The Rapidash soon calmed down and Ranma looked over and saw a huge cloud of dust fast approaching from the east. He reached into a side pocket of his backpack and took out a pair of binoculars. Looking through the eyepieces, he let out a gasp as he saw what was coming.

At the front was a small herd of Tauros. On either side of the thundering group were two riders, each mounted on fire-horses. Ranma smiled as he noted three Ponytas and one Rapidash. The rider of the Rapidash caught his interest. He observed her riding her mount with all the skill of the cowboys he had seen on those gaijin TV westerns as a kid.

It was then that he noticed that the herd of Tauros was heading toward a small town and saw that the riders were trying to head off the stampede. Even though the herd numbered about a dozen or so, even that small number would cause great damage and injury. He could see that the townspeople were scrambling to take cover. Seeing that the riders would not be able to stop the rampaging Tauros in time, he decided to intervene.

"Let's go, Wildfire!"

The Rapidash reared up on his hind legs, then charged down the slope on an intercept course. Leaving a blazing trail of embers behind it as he raced to head off the herd.

Laura Lareme was desperately urging her Rapidash to go faster, but it was apparent that they were not going to be able to stop the stampede in time. It was then that she saw that something was fast approaching on a course perpendicular to where the herd was heading. She could only make out a red comet as it streaked across the ground. When it came closer, she gasped as she made out a Rapidash and its rider.

"What is that dang fool doing?" Laura gasped as she saw them charging across the plains. 

Ranma smiled as they came across a large area of sand between the herd and the town. He then came up with an inspiration. Grabbing the Pokéball that contained Wind Rider, he then directed his steed to race across the front of the herd of Tauros.

"WILDFIRE! HEAD THEM OFF WITH A FIREBLAZE TRAIL!"

The Rapidash let off a whinny as he put on another burst of speed, putting out intense flames that formed a wall behind them. The lead Tauros of the herd was forced to turn to the right to avoid the wall and started to run parallel to the flames. The rest of the herd followed.

"NOW, USE THE SUPER FIRE SPIN! KEEP THEM INSIDE THE CIRCLE BUT DON'T HURT THEM!"

Wildfire's mane and tail flared again as he began racing around in a wide circle. The Tauros tried to outrun the fire-horse, but were unable to keep up with his superior speed. The flames being caused by Ranma's Pokémon soon formed a ring to corral the beasts, Ranma knew that it was only a temporary solution. As soon as the flames died down, the Tauros would likely stampede again. As he urged his Rapidash to continue racing around the herd, he let fly with Wind Rider's Pokéball.

"WIND RIDER! USE YOUR SAND ATTACK AND KICK IT UP BEHIND WILDFIRE'S TRAIL!"

The Pidgeotto did as he was asked and used controlled bursts of wind to cause sand particles to be swept into the intense flames. The silicon particles began to harden into glass under the intense heat. They started piling up and fusing together into mounds. More and more sand was added as Ranma's Rapidash slowly widened the circle with each pass, causing a glass barrier to be formed. After several dozens of turns, a ring of glass more than five feet thick encircled the herd. The Tauros tried to butt their way through, but with so little space inside the makeshift corral, they couldn't build up enough momentum. Eventually, they began to calm down as they realized that they had nowhere to go.

When Ranma saw that the herd had stopped he then brought his steed to a halt. Patting the side of his horse's head, he praised both of his Pokémon. "Great job Wildfire. You too, Wind Rider!"

The Rapidash snorted with pride and the Pidgeotto let off a happy squawk. Ranma wiped his brow of sweat as he surveyed their work. Around the glass corral, there was nothing but bare rock now. However, the town had been saved. The people were just coming out of their shelters and begin cheering. It was then that he saw the riders approaching him with Laura Lareme in front. They all came to a halt in front of him.

"That was amazing! You saved the town and stopped the stampede! We're right grateful to you and your Pokémon."

Ranma smiled at her Old West accent. He decided to respond in kind. "T'weren't nothin' ma'am. Happy to oblige." He then gave here a salute with his two fingers. He wished he had a cowboy hat.

Laura nodded as she got off her mount. Ranma did the same as he got a good look at the girl. She was wearing a kind of headband in her light green hair. She also had a red bandanna around her neck and wore a red flannel, short-sleeved shirt, tan Bermuda-style shorts and leather shoes that resembled hiking boots. Ranma gauged her to be around Jeanette's age and she had an athletic figure, which wasn't surprising considering that she worked on a ranch. 

"What's yer name, stranger?"

"Ranma Saotome." Ranma took her offered hand and shook it.

"Well, I'm Laura Laramie of the Lareme Clan. We'd all like to give you a warm welcome to the Big P Ranch."

"Thanks. I'm glad to be here."

"Pikachu!"

Ranma smiled as he gestured to his Pokémon. "Oh, where are my manners? I'd like to introduce you to my Pokémon. This is Raiden, Wind Rider and Wild… fire?" Ranma had just waved to his horse when it suddenly moved forward and gave Laura an affectionate nuzzle with the side of his head.

The girl was a bit surprised at how friendly this strange horse was with her. Usually, fire-horses would burn anyone that they did not completely trust. "Er, you got yourself one friendly Rapidash."

"Uh, yeah…" Ranma continued to stare at the horse as Laura started to stroke and pet him. "You know… if I didn't know better, I'd say that he knows you."

"Well, I can't say that I ever met this Rapidash before. My Rapidash over there is the only one that I've been with. Most of my time is spent tending to our ranch's Ponytas."

It was then that Wildfire gave a happy snort and nuzzled her again. It was then that Ranma got to think about the time he first encountered Wildfire. He had never tried to figure out where the horse had come from when he had rescued him from Billy Bartonne and his friends. He also thought about how much at home Wildfire felt at this place. _Could it be that Wildfire had come from here?_

Ranma tabled these thoughts for later as Laura invited him and his Pokémon to travel with her group back to the ranch. On the way, she called for a few of the hired hands to go and free the Tauros from their glass prison. 

Sometime later, near the stables of the Big P Ranch, Ranma and Raiden were walking alongside Laura as she led her Rapidash to the stables. Ranma had accepted Laura's offer to set him up for the night.

"I have to admit, you've got yerself one fine Rapidash." Laura commented. "I don't think we could raise one any better. I ain't never seen a Rapidash do what yours did with that herd of Tauros."

"Thanks. Yours is really nice too. He looks strong."

"Pikachu." Raiden nodded his head in agreement.

"You better believe it." Laura said with pride. "Why Rapidash here won the Pokémon Challenge Race last year. I'm mighty proud of him. In fact, I intend to win this year's race with him. He did so well with his rider last year, that I'm sure that he'll win this year as well."

"Well, seeing how you and Rapidash are so close, I can't help but think that you'll be the winner."

Just then, the two noticed a big cloud of dust being raised in the distance. Ranma and Laura stopped as the cloud sped toward them. Laura's Rapidash and Wildfire were a bit startled when the cloud suddenly stopped in front of them and cleared. Ranma stared at the strange bird and its rider before taking out his Pokédex.

*DOTRIO, A THREE-HEADED BIRD POKÉMON. IT CAN RUN FASTER THAN IT CAN FLY. ITS HEADS REPRESENT JOY, SORROW AND ANGER.*

"Howdy Laura. All set 'fer the big race tomorrow?" The boy snickered as he gazed upon Ranma. "So who's this, yer new boyfriend?"

Laura had become a bit flustered, as she replied, "No, he's a guest of ours, Dario. He rounded up a herd of Tauros fer us." Though a small part of her didn't really find the idea of Ranma as a boyfriend as unpleasant. He was really cute and seemed to know how to handle horses. She then quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, I hope you're ready to lose! Rapidash is gonna whup yer Dotrio's tail, just like last year!"

"Hmph! You were just lucky last year. I would have won if that horse of yers hadn't have gone and cheated!"

"Don't you go calling Rapidash a cheater1 I may not be able to prove that you tried to fix the race last time, but I know you were behind all those accidents, including the one that hurt my arm!"

"You ain't got no proof, and besides I was never involved in any of it. Well, I'll see ya tomorrow. Then again, the only thing you'll be seeing all through the race will be my Dotrio's tail feathers." Dario gave a short laugh and then rode his bird off.

Ranma frowned as he watched Dario leave. "Something tells me that guy is not only a sore loser, but also a bad winner. So what did he mean by your horse cheating?"

Laura smirked as she relayed the events of last year's race.

"No kidding? Your Ponyta became a Rapidash?" Ranma smiled as he remembered the events that made Wildfire evolve.

"Yep. I'm mighty grateful to Ash Ketchum for helping Rapidash win the race and kept Dario from becoming an honorary member of the Laramie Clan."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, every year we hold this race to see who have raised the best Pokémon and the winner of the race becomes an honorary member of our clan. I shudder to think what would've happen if Dario had won."

Ranma nodded as he and Laura neared the stables. After tethering her horse, Laura then invited him to accompany her to the festival that was being held in town before the race. Ironically, it was the same town that had almost been run over by the stampeding Tauros. After some gentle prodding and an attack of cuteness (something that Ranma still couldn't defend himself against), Raiden's trainer reluctantly agreed to be Laura's escort. Ranma had decided to take his Rapidash with him. The fire-horse walked alongside them as Laura showed him the sights.

It was sometime around nine o'clock when Ranma and Laura returned to the stables to check on her Rapidash before turning in for the night. The pigtailed martial artist and his Pikachu were quite happy. It's not every day that they had a chance to relax and just enjoy themselves. Ranma had also let out his other Pokémon to enjoy the free food and watch the sights. Laura had proven to be good company and her presence helped Raiden's trainer become more accustomed to being with girls. 

However, when they came back to the stables, they were quickly approached by one of the hired hands.

"Laura! Come quick! Something's wrong with your Rapidash and the other Ponytas!"

Without hesitation, Laura ran to her Rapidash's stall. A moment later, she cried out in shock.

A while later, in the main house of the ranch, Laura shook her head despondently as she and Ranma sat on a bench on the front porch.

"I can't believe that the oats were poisoned!" Laura said sadly.

"Well it's a good thing that it wasn't anything lethal." Ranma remarked. "Nurse Joy said that all of your Ponyta and Rapidash should recover in a day or two."

"But the race is tomorrow!" Laura exclaimed. "What am I going to do? I can't ride Rapidash or the other Ponytas, and they're the fastest Pokémon that our ranch has! There's no other Pokémon that could beat Dario's Dotrio! I just know that Dario was the one who did this!"

Ranma looked at the girl and he just couldn't stand to see a girl cry. He was silent for a long time, then said in a quiet voice. "I have an idea, Laura. You can use my Rapidash." Ranma held out the Pokéball that contained Wildfire. "He didn't eat those poisoned oats so you can ride him in the race."

Laura smiled sadly as she shook her head. "That's nice of you to offer, Ranma, but that won't work. The Pokémon that I have to ride has to come from our ranch. Ash Ketchum was allowed to ride in my place since my Rapidash was raised here. Your Rapidash is very nice and strong, but we need a representative of our clan."

"Well, if I'm right, then Wildfire should be able to race with you then."

"What do you mean?"

Ranma tossed the Pokéball and released Wildfire. As soon as the horse appeared, he automatically trotted over to where Laura was and gave her an affectionate lick.

"Why is he so friendly to me?" Laura inquired as she gently pushed him away.

"Because… I think you raised him at one time."

"Huh?"

"Tell me, have you ever lost a Ponyta or had one stolen?"

Laura thought for a moment, then nodded. "About a couple of months back, some rustlers tried to make off with some of our Ponytas. We managed to track them down and get back all of them, except one that had run off scared. We never did manage to find him."

Ranma smiled as he saw Wildfire nuzzle against Laura's chest. "Well, I think Wildfire may be that lost Ponyta. He's way too familiar with you." Ranma then told her of how he had come across Wildfire and adopted him as his Pokémon.

Laura was still a bit skeptical after Ranma had finished his story. "That may all be just a coincidence. Besides, if Wildfire was that missing Ponyta, then he'd have the special brand of the Big P Ranch printed on his left hind hoof. It uses a special dye that doesn't rub off, and it isn't affected if he evolves."

Ranma smirked as he went over to Wildfire's left hind leg and motioned for him to lift it. "I always wondered what this mark was when I nursed him back to health."

Laura gasped as she saw the mark of the Big P Ranch imprinted on the hoof. She looked the horse straight in the eye and said in a trembling voice. "Were… y-you that… lost… Ponyta?"

Wildfire nodded his head vigorously and snorted in agreement.

Ranma's smile became even wider. "Well, it looks like you're back in the running Laura." 

Laura was close to tears as she grasped the sides of Wildfire's head and quietly asked him, "Do really want me to be your rider?"

The fire-horse gave her another affectionate lick and nodded.

"Well, I guess we're going to have to pull an all-nighter to get you ready for tomorrow."

"What do you mean? I know how to ride a horse. I've been riding them since I was six."

Ranma gestured with a thumb to his Pokémon. "Wildfire here isn't your average Rapidash."

  


Some time later…

"WHOOOOOOAAAAAAA!!!!"

Laura was thrown forward a dozen feet as Wildfire screeched to a halt after doing ten laps around the corral. It was a lucky thing that Ranma had been there to catch her in his arms. She hadn't expected her mount to go from 0 to 170 mph in less than six seconds. She had hung on for dear life when Ranma's Pokémon made those tight turns at speeds that would have broke the legs off any other horse. The way that the Rapidash could stop almost on a dime also shocked her. Wildfire's training in ki control allowed the horse to reverse and decrease inertia and momentum to aid in decelerating and maneuvering.

Ranma was a bit uncomfortable as he held the slim and athletic figure close to his body. He gave a slight gulp and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Laura nodded slightly as she was helped back onto her feet. She more than intimidated at how powerful and fast the horse was. "I never knew that Wildfire could move like that. Rapidash are fast, but not THAT fast!"

"Yeah, well I've been pushing Wildfire to reach new speeds during our travels. It's a good thing he was holding back that time."

"THAT was holding back?!"

Ranma gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged. "Well, yeah. Last time I checked, my Rapidash could hit 230 mph."

"Two hundred and thirty?!"

Ranma nodded. "He can only maintain his top speed for about two or three minutes before tiring out. I've trained him in endurance and he can cruise at about 180 mph for a couple of hours though."

Laura looked back at Wildfire, who seemed to convey an expression that seemed to apologize for accidentally throwing her. She then felt some anxiety and her confidence began to lower. "Maybe it would be better if you rode him in the race tomorrow."

Ranma shook his head. "Nah, I can see it in your eyes. You want to beat that jerk Dario and I don't blame you. This will make up for the time he put you out of the competition last year. Besides, you know the layout of the course and Wildfire needs you to guide him through it. You know what kind of terrain he'll be up against. My Rapidash may be strong and fast, but that doesn't mean he'll automatically win on a course he's never been on." Ranma became silent for a moment as he waited for Laura's reply. When she gave him a reluctant nod, the martial artist and Pokémon trainer walked up to his horse and patted the side of his head. "Wildfire, for now I want you to restrict your speed to under 120, until Laura gets used to going that fast. We'll work up from there, okay?"

Wildfire snorted in agreement and bobbed his head.

Ranma smiled as he glanced back at Laura. "Oh, and I think it would be best if you knew of some of Wildfire's attacks."

"I know all the attacks that a Rapidash can make."

"Oh, you mean Stomp, Fire Spin, Ember, Takedown and so on? That's kid's stuff."

"Kid's stuff?"

The pigtailed teen smirked as he watched his Pokémon power up his battle aura.

  


The next day…

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said as the crowds began to fill up the stadium at the start of the course. "The Annual Pokémon Challenge Race will be underway in thirty minutes. Each competitor must follow a grueling and dangerous course as well as against each other to win the race. For all you Pokémon racing fans, there is no other challenging competition more exciting than this one!"

The crowds soon packed the stadium to full capacity as the participants of the race began positioning themselves at the starting line. Near the head of the group, Dario was perched on his Dotrio and smirked as he saw his rival Laura approach the line on foot, with no Pokémon in sight.

"Howdy, Laura. You here to cheer me on?" Dario snickered.

"Like I'd ever do that." Laura replied with some irritation as she crossed her arms. 

"Aw, don't be like that." Dario said with a mocking tone. "I mean, I'm really sorry that you don't have any Pokémon to ride in the race. When I heard about your Rapidash and Ponyta getting sick, I felt really sorry that you couldn't race against me. But then again, even if you did have a Pokémon, it wouldn't be able to beat my Dotrio. It's a lot faster than last year and more than a match for that cheatin' Rapidash or yours."

Laura then gave him a smug look and replied, "For your information, my Rapidash could beat your Dotrio anytime of the week. And besides... who says I'm going to be missing out on the race?"

"You can't ride in the race without a Pokémon, Laura." Dario sneered.

Laura looked over her shoulder and smiled as she caught sight of Wildfire being led toward the starting line by one of her hired hands. Ranma had decided to leave early that morning and keep an eye on the race.

Dario's eyes widened as he watched Laura mount the fiery steed as the announcer started speaking over the loudspeakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a surprise announcement. The local favorite, Laura Laramie of the Big P Ranch WILL be in this year's competition!" A big cheer erupted from the stands as Laura and Wildfire was given a standing ovation. "Due to the unfortunate incident that occurred last night at her ranch, a fellow trainer had generously loaned his Rapidash to her for the race! The Rapidash's name is Wildfire! Let's all give them a hand!"

Dario became infuriated at the news as the crowds gave his rival another round of applause. He turned toward the judges' stand in outrage. "Hey! That can't be right! She's supposed to be riding a Pokémon from her ranch, not some stranger's! She should be disqualified from running!"

The head judge looked down at the papers in his hand and then shook his head. "Miss Laramie has already shown me authentic proof that her mount had come from her ranch and is therefore qualified to enter the race."

"What?!"

Laura smiled in triumph as she turned Wildfire around and showed off the Big P Ranch brand on his left hind hoof.

Dario gritted his teeth, then turned away in disgust. "Fine then. I don't know what kind of scheme you're pulling, but it won't work! I'm still going to beat you Laura!"

"We'll see about that." 

The two of them began taking their positions at the starting line as the final preparations were being made.

Looking through a pair of binoculars, Ranma watched from a high ridge that was at the halfway mark of the racecourse. Beside him, he had let out all of his Pokémon to get ready for any traps and dangers that he was sure that Dario had laid out for the other competitors, especially Laura. He focused the eyepieces to maximum magnification and saw that the race was about to begin.

Back at the starting line, the head judge stood up with a starting gun as the lights in front began changing colors.

"On your marks…"

The red lights switched off and the amber light switched on.

"Get set…"

The amber lights switched off as the judge held up the gun and pulled the trigger. The green lights then lit up.

"GO!"

**BANG!**

The race was on!

Dario immediately pulled forward from the group and took an early lead with his Dotrio, leaving a trail of dust behind him. Laura and Wildfire managed to take a comfortable position in second place as they too pulled away from the pack. As per Ranma's instructions, his Rapidash kept from going full out, as Laura would have not been able to stay on his back at such velocities. As of now, he was going at about 85 mph.

The course for this year's race was a lot longer than Ash Ketchum had rode before, with more obstacles, twisting paths and wide gorges to cross, as well as climbing a steep mountainside and traversing a wide river. Back with the rest of the group, the riders and their Pokémon were jockeying for position and some were even getting into fights. Several riders who were riding Rapidashes were thrown from their mounts as they lost control at such high speeds. Laura barely missed being sideswiped by another rider as she urged her mount to go faster. Dario had not been kidding about his Dotrio being even faster than before as she watched him pull even further away. Soon the pack began to thin as more and more riders were eliminated. 

Wildfire saw that he needed to catch Dario and put on an added burst of speed, kicking up to 110 mph. He couldn't go any faster as they were now entering a treacherous canyon, riddled with huge boulders and ditches. Laura carefully maneuvered the Rapidash around the obstacles as she saw another few riders stumble and crash into the ground.

From his lookout point, Ranma could see that his horse and Laura were doing well, but Dario had a commanding lead. The jerk had the advantage of knowing the terrain and Laura was forced to slow her mount down to guide him through the narrow passes and turns. Ranma had no time to familiarize his Rapidash with the course and right now, Laura was Wildfire's only means of guidance. 

Raiden's trainer frowned as he saw Dario's Dotrio cross the wide river that lay across the racecourse. Using the large stones that formed a pathway across the waters, it took them only a few seconds to get to the other side. About twenty seconds later, Laura was seen racing toward the riverbank.

The announcer gasped as the scene was shown on the giant monitor that displayed the race to the audience. "Uh oh! Laura Laramie is heading toward the river, but at the speed she's going, she and Wildfire are in danger of falling in! And we all know how fire-type Pokémon are vulnerable to water."

It was true. Wildfire had no intention of stopping as he increased his speed. Laura tried to make her mount slow down so they could navigate the stepping stones laid out for them.

"Wildfire, please slow down!"

The Rapidash gave whinny as he suddenly accelerated to 140 mph and then made a huge running broad jump. Laura clung onto him for dear life as he traversed halfway across the river. Wildfire then made a landing on one of the stones, then with a flash of ki energy and no loss of momentum, propelled forward like a rocket and landing on the opposite bank. He then dashed off after Dario.

"Whoa fans! That was amazing! Wildfire had just cleared the river in two jumps! A distance of more than four hundred meters! Whoever Wildfire's trainer is, he must be really proud of his Pokémon right now!"

Ranma smirked at the compliment from the radio he carried as he continued to watch the race. Dario had begun to slow down as he started running the mountain pathways. The steep hillsides made it hard for the Dotrio to get a stable foothold. He then caught sight of Laura gaining on him as his Rapidash blazed a fiery trail behind him. Perhaps Laura didn't need his help to win this race.

He opinion soon changed as Raiden started tugging at his left pants leg. 

"Pika! Pikachu!"

He looked down at the electric rodent who was pointing in the distance toward another ridge that overlooked one turn of the racecourse. Dario passed under it as Laura came into sight of it. He then saw a glint of metal as sunlight reflected off it. He trained his binoculars on the light and gasped as he saw what it was.

_Damn! I knew Dario wouldn't play fair!_ The pigtailed boy gestured to his Pidgeotto as they were too far away. "Wind Rider! Take out that guy on that ridge!"

The bird Pokémon took off and flew toward the ridge. On the ridge, one of Dario's thugs had a tranquilizer gun aimed directly at Wildfire's hindquarters. He was just waiting for the horse to come within range and…

"Pidgooooo!!!"

The thug was startled by the squawk and then saw a flash of light at the corner of his eye. As he looked up, twin beams of ki energy blasted the rifle out of his hands. Before he could react, Wind Rider dive-bombed him and knocked him off his feet. One blast of compressed air and Dario's man was out cold.

"Good work, Wind Rider!" Ranma smiled as he saw Laura and Wildfire pass by the ridge in safety. As they were getting toward the halfway point, Ranma gestured for his Pokémon to follow him as he went down a narrow path that would take them to where Laura and Dario would be. 

At the halfway mark, near the entrance to another canyon, only Dario and Laura were left in the race, as the other riders were too far behind to have any chance of winning. As with last year, the Pokémon could only continue on after consuming some food that had been laid out for them. Dario became frustrated as the three heads of his Dotrio began fighting over which one would eat first.

_Dang! This thing happened last year!_ He looked up and saw that his rival and Pokémon had come onto the scene and made their way toward a trough. He was especially surprised to see her mount gobble up the food like a vacuum cleaner. In less than a minute, Wildfire had consumed the entire thing and was ready to race off again. 

(Hey, when you're able to go over 200 mph, you burn up a lot of calories!) 

"Arrgh! I ain't going to lose THIS year!" He then let off a whistle to signal his ace, or rather aces, in the hole.

Ranma and his Pokémon had just gotten to the scene when he heard several explosions. He then saw some strange projectiles flying through the air, exploding into thick clouds of fog, obscuring visibility. The people at the stadium were puzzled, as the giant monitor showed nothing but dense fog and static.

Back at the canyon, Ranma was wondering just what was going on, when he heard some ominous and sickening theme music.

_Oh no! Not again! What are these guys, a franchise?_

Sure enough, two figures appeared the smokescreen and took a pose. Both were dressed in team Rocket uniforms. One was a girl with short blond hair in a short-cropped hairstyle, while the other was a guy that looked like her twin brother. 

"Don't cause us trouble!"

"Or we'll pay you back double!"

"To subject the world and cause it devastation!"

"To raise our position to a whole new station!"

"To annihilate the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our rule to the heavens above!"

"Billy!" The girl announced.

"Kidd!" The boy followed.

"Team Rocket, destroying all good within our sight!"

"Surrender now for it is useless to fight!"

"Hitmonchan!" A new Pokémon showed up in front of them. 

Ranma let off a dejected sigh, but then became interested at the appearance of a new Pokémon.

*HITMONCHAN, A FIGHTING-TYPE POKÉMON. IT IS VERY PROFICIENT IN BOXING AND HAS A VERY FAST PUNCH.*

Dario smiled as he said to the new Team Rocket, "Okay, I paid you guys a lot of money and I expect you to do a better job than that other Team Rocket!"

"No problem." Kidd replied as he and Billy threw out several Pokéballs. Each device opened up and released a Blastoise. The heavy turtles began aiming their water cannons at Wildfire and his rider.

Laura pulled on the reins and the horse took a few steps back. "Dario, you're nothing but a big cheater!" She could tell that Wildfire was really nervous at the moment. One Blastoise he could take. A dozen of them was another story.

"I do what I have to, to win. See ya at the finish line, if you make it!" Dario let off a sneering laugh as he urged his Dotrio toward the canyon.

Billy and Kidd looked down at their cornered victim and were about to give the order for their Blastoises to open fire with their cannons.

"MOKO TAKABISHA!"

The two became startled by the sudden shout as Ranma's voice echoed out. They were wondering whom it was when two balls of blue energy flashed and blasted into them, knocking them off their feet. 

With their trainers momentarily out of the way and not giving any orders, the Blastoises stood there and waited. Suddenly they heard a squawk from overhead and saw that a Pidgeotto was circling above them. The bird began spinning around and released huge winds that blew the clouds of smoke back into the faces of the water Pokémon. They became temporarily blinded and began firing their water cannons wildly, drenching each other with their weapons. 

This is what Ranma and Raiden had expected as they both began powering up for a massive twin Thunderblast Bomb attack. Ranma glanced over to the side and saw that his Sandslash was throwing ki blasts to deflect any stray water that got too close to Wildfire. "Laura, get going! We'll take care of these jerks! Win the race!"

"But…"

Laura was unable to finish as Wildfire understood his master's command and began galloping off after Dario.

Above their heads, Raiden and Ranma had just created huge balls of electrical energy, just as Wind Rider stopped using his Gust Attacks and the smoke cleared.

"Blastoise?" The lead turtle said with confusion.

"DOUBLE-TEAM THUNDERBLAST BOMB!"

"Pikachu!"

**KABOOM!!!**

  


Billy and Kidd were just regaining consciousness when they saw a gigantic flash of electrical energy and wondered if a big lightning bolt had struck near them. They suddenly heard the screams of their Blastoises as they were subjected to more than 200,000 volts. Being wet from their water cannons had caused all that power to be conducted right through them.

The two Team Rocket members were in total shock (though not as much as their Pokémon). Their entire group of Blastoises was now sprawled on the ground and out of action. Knowing that they were now at a serious disadvantage, they now noticed that someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Hitmonchan?" Billy asked.

She was answered a moment later as they heard their Pokémon screaming as he flew through the air and slammed into a wall next to them. The boxing Pokémon had gotten into a scuffle with Ranma's Machop. Guess who won?

"Hit… mon… chan." The pugilistic Pokémon slid painfully into the ground and was out like the Blastoises. 

"Machop!" Bruiser appeared from one side, his face displaying a wide smile as he dusted off his hands. Hitmonchan were good at punching, but never learned to use their legs. One ki-powered Mega Kick was all that was needed.

"Now then…" Ranma as he and his Pokémon began to advance on their adversaries.

"W-W-Who are you?" Kidd asked fearfully as he and Billy backed up against a wall.

"Say hello to Butch, Cassidy, Bonnie and Clyde for me when you see them." Ranma smirked as he cracked his knuckles. The Machop did the same as he and the others began powering up their battle auras. This was going to be messy.

(We now close the curtain on this scene of intense and gratuitous violence to protect our younger readers.)

Meanwhile, Dario was ecstatic as his Dotrio emerged from the canyon, and was now heading back toward the stadium. There was no way he could lose! Then he heard the sounds of a horse coming from the exit of the canyon. He looked back and saw a blazing ball of flame approaching in the distance.

_Oh no, you don't Laura! Not this time!_ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. Pressing down on the activator button, he smiled as he heard the detonations of the explosions he had Team Rocket plant at the exit of the canyon to prevent anyone else from getting through

. 

Ranma and his Pokémon were just finishing putting Billy and Kidd into la-la land when they too heard the explosions. Ranma became concerned as he heard an ominous rumbling in the distance. It felt familiar and he thought back to the time that he was trapped in that cave. There was nothing more that he and his Pokémon could do to help Laura now. It was all up to her and Wildfire.

_Win Wildfire! Win!_

Laura gasped as she saw the exit to the canyon suddenly become blocked by a huge boulder. Wildfire was still going at over 150 mph and they were less than a few hundred meters from the blocked off passage. There was no time to stop, so Wildfire did the only thing he could do. He sped up while focusing his ki into his aura to protect his rider. His horn began to glow with an intense light as he leveled it down in front of him.

Laura tried desperately to get Wildfire to slow down, but then remembered what Ranma had told her about the Rapidash's special attacks. She nodded and braced herself as close to the horse's back as possible.

"BLAZING HORN CHARGE!" Laura cried out.

Wildfire sped forward and plowed into the huge boulder, causing it to explode into gravel, thereby clearing the way for them to get though. The battle aura of the horse deflected off the fragments of the rock, and protected the girl. Without slowing down, the Rapidash poured on the speed to catch up with the Dotrio, who had just entered the homestretch.

The announcer caught sight of Dario as he neared the stadium. "Well, fans it looks like Dario and his Dotrio will become this year's winner and… hold on! What is that?!" The camera panned over and showed a comet streaking across the plains and heading toward the stadium. The crowd let off a cheer as the cameras focused in and gave the image of Laura Laramie as she held on for dear life. Wildfire was going full out at more than 200 mph and was quickly catching up to Dotrio. 

"No! I can't lose now!" Dario urged his mount to go full out. He was less than one thousand meters from the finish line. He was so close that he could taste it!

Ranma was now flying thought the air toward the stadium as his Pidgeotto gripped him by his shoulders and carried Raiden on his back. Through intense training, Wind Rider could carry weights that exceeded his own for several miles. Ranma had left Team Rocket and their Pokémon tied up back at the canyon and planned to call the law after the race to pick them up. The pigtailed boy looked down through his binoculars and frowned. Despite Wildfire's tremendous output of speed, he wouldn't be able to catch up to Dario before he crossed the finish line. The Dotrio was less than five hundred meters and Laura was still more than a kilometer away.

Wildfire kept on pushing himself to go faster. He just had to win! He had returned to the place of his birth and was reunited with an old friend and she was depending on him to beat Dario! Ranma had shown him kindness and taught him to be strong! Everything was riding on him! He couldn't let them down! He couldn't! Wildfire reached into his innermost strength and pulled forth more speed.

Laura was too busy holding on and shutting her eyes to notice as Wildfire began to radiate more power and its fiery mane and tail turned from red to a blue-white hue. The horse began burning up the ground, leaving a blazing trail of fire of not flame, but pure ki energy. A kind of corona of light surrounded the horse, making it appear like a blazing blue meteor. The aura also made a pocket of air around Wildfire, making it possible for Laura and the horse to breathe and survive the effects of air friction. Suddenly, Wildfire's speed jumped up to 300 mph!

The crowds gasped in amazement as Wildfire shot forward in a second and overtook Dario's Dotrio when it was less than one hundred meters away from victory. The three-headed bird staggered as it was caught in Wildfire's jetwash. By some miracle, it managed to stay on its feet, but it was too late. Wildfire had crossed the finish line and kept on going. The crowds let off an enthusiastic cheer, which then became silent as Laura overshot the stadium! 

Ranma stared in amazement as his Pidgeotto flapped his wings furiously to follow the Rapidash as it disappeared over the horizon.

Some distance away… 

Wildfire had finally managed to stop after overshooting the stadium by at least 5 miles. The horse was totally exhausted and was about ready to drop as Laura stood beside the Rapidash. She was in total awe as she beheld the vibrant colors of his mane and tail against the setting rays of the sun.

"Ranma raised you well, Wildfire."

"Thank you."

Both turned to see Wind Rider setting Ranma and Raiden down on the ground. In the distance, camera crews in their vans and other cars began converging at the spot. Soon crowds of enthusiastic fans and reporters surrounded the two as the judges came up to present her with the winner's flag.

"Congratulations Laura Laramie, you and Wildfire are this year's Pokémon Challenge winners!"

Laura smiled as she pulled Ranma into the spotlight with her. "I couldn't have done it without this trainer's help and his Rapidash. This here's Ranma Saotome and I'm pleased to proclaim him an honorary member of the Laramie Clan!"

Ranma became flabbergasted at the announcement as he timidly waved hello to the people watching him on TV. He wasn't used to all this publicity, but figured that it wouldn't hurt. Little did he know that two people in particular had become very excited at the sight of him. They also felt a little bit of jealousy at the sight of the Laramie clinging onto Ranma's arm and snuggling close. With that in mind, they began making a beeline towards the Safari Zone.

A day later…

Ranma nodded as he and Laura rode on their Rapidashes toward the edge of the Safari Zone. It was time for them to part ways. He had considered leaving Wildfire at the Big P Ranch, since he seemed so happy running with the other fire-horses, but as soon as he suggested it, the Rapidash shook his head and nuzzled him. It was great to be back at its place of birth, but Wildfire knew that his place was beside his master's side. Laura may have raised him in the beginning, but Ranma was the one he was truly meant to be with. Wildfire's show of loyalty almost made Ranma burst out into tears, but he managed to control himself, barely.

"Are you sure you won't stay with us, Ranma. I mean, you're a great fire-horse trainer. I'll bet you could make all of our Ponytas and Rapidash as strong as Wildfire." She also turned away a bit when she felt her cheeks reddening a bit. The thought of Ranma being at the Ranch all the time made her think of very… intimate thoughts.

"Thanks but no. I'm just like Wildfire and I'd feel pretty cooped up staying in one place too long. I'm on a Pokémon journey after all. Besides, I'm sure that you could raise your horses to be really strong without my help. You rode Wildfire well enough. I think you'll do fine."

Laura blinked back a tear as she took a deep breath and said, "All right, if that's what you want. But know that you'll always be welcomed at the Big P Ranch, Ranma. Good luck!" She then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Ranma held up a hand to touch his cheek while blushing a bit. Smothering the surprising warmth, he smiled and waved goodbye as he urged his steed down the path to the Safari Zone.

Laura wiped away a tear as she directed her Rapidash back toward the lands of the Big P Ranch. When she got to the main house, she was informed that two girls had arrived on a Fearow and a Rapidash and were looking for a certain Pokémon Trainer with a pigtail and a Pikachu.

To be continued…

Author's Notes

For those of you who thought I should have had Laura become another one of Ranma's suitors, well she's got a ranch to handle so she doesn't have time to go chasing after Ranma. Then again, she may just turn up in the near future. Jeanette and Sam are now closing in on Ranma and it won't be long before the fireworks begin. As for the sixth Pokémon, it will be along in the next couple of chapters or so. 


	11. Chapter 11: Class Acts

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: Don't blame me, I just write the stuff. 

**: Thoughts 

**Chapter 11 **

Class Acts 

"Well Ranma, it's been some time since I last heard from you." Professor Oak was chatting on the videophone with Ranma after the martial artist had made it out of the Safari Zone and was now at a roadside Pokémon Center near another town. "Where are you calling from?" 

Ranma shrugged as he replied. "I'm not sure. I just got out of the Safari Zone and I can't find out where I am on the map you gave me." 

"Oh? I thought that you could read it with no problems." 

"Well, it's hard to follow a map when your mode of transport is going too fast to read the road signs." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I thought that Wildfire was fast before, but after a couple of days ago, he suddenly got even faster! I think it was from that race he was in." "Race?" The good professor held his chin in thought, then said, "Say, you wouldn't happen to be referring to the Pokémon Challenge Race they held at the Big P Ranch a week ago, are you?" 

"Yeah. How did you know about that?" Ranma asked. 

"I'm surprised that you didn't hear about it. Look here." Professor Oak held up a magazine to the viewscreen. The main article depicted a photograph of Laura Laramie speeding past the finish line on Wildfire. At the bottom, the banner read: RAPIDASH CLOCKED AT 300 MPH! A NEW POKÉMON LANDSPEED RECORD! 

Ranma stared in disbelief as Oak smiled at him. "I must admit, it surprised me when I received the news. The article said that the rider was using a borrowed Pokémon and your name was mentioned. That was your Rapidash, wasn't it?" 

"Uh, yeah it was." Ranma wasn't sure about this unexpected publicity. He had been spending most of the week training with his Pokémon in the Safari Zone, so he had not heard the news. 

"Congratulations Ranma! I don't think anyone could have trained a Rapidash better." 

"Well, I can't take all the credit." Ranma replied. "Wildfire kind of did that on his own. I still don't know how he managed that drastic increase in speed. He hasn't been able to do that again since then." 

"Now don't be modest Ranma. Your Pokémon couldn't have achieved that victory without your training." 

"I guess..." Ranma then looked behind him as he saw Nurse Joy approach him with his Pokéballs on a tray. 

"Here you are. Your Pokémon have all been refreshed and are ready to go." Raiden gave Ranma a wave as he trotted up while adjusting his headband. 

"Pikachu." Ranma nodded to his electric mouse. "Hey Raiden." He then took his Pokéballs from Nurse Joy and asked her a question. "Excuse me, but where exactly does this road lead?" He pointed toward the highway outside the center. 

"Oh, that road leads to Stone Town." Nurse Joy gave Ranma a pleasant smile as she patted Raiden on the head. "We happen to be 10 miles from Evolution Mountain." 

"Evolution Mountain?" 

"Yes. Evolution Mountain is a good place to get stones to evolve Pokémon." She pointed to Ranma's Water Stone pendant. "Like that Water Stone around your neck." 

Ranma looked down at his pendant, then nodded his thanks to Nurse Joy. "Thanks." 

Nurse Joy smiled again as she went off to continue her rounds. Ranma turned back to the phone. 

"Did she say Stone Town?" Professor Oak asked excitedly. 

"Yeah. Is there something special about it?" Ranma asked. 

"Now there's an understatement!" Oak nodded with enthusiasm. "Not only is Stone Town famous for its high-quality evolution stones, but it is also going to be holding a Pokémon convention this week!" 

"A convention?" 

"Yes. I'd say that this would be a good opportunity for you to learn more about handling your Pokémon. Trainers from all over will be coming to Stone Town in the next few days. I'm going there myself in a couple of days to give a lecture on Pokémon evolution. I hear that students from Pokémon Tech will be going there on a filed trip." 

"Pokémon Tech?" 

"Yes, it's a special Pokémon school that allows some trainers to learn about Pokémon without having to go around on a journey and collect gym badges. If they graduate, they automatically become eligible to enter the Pokémon League. Beginners have the same level as two badges, intermediate classes have four and advanced classes are the same as six. Once students received their diplomas, they have the same bearing as those who have earned eight badges. It's very convenient for trainers who cannot leave home." 

"Well, I guess I could check it out." Ranma scratched the back of his head. 

"Oh, and there's one more thing I should tell you." Oak added. "There will be a special seminar and exhibition match held there as well! The guest speaker will be Prima from the Orange Islands!" 

"Who?" 

"You don't know who Prima is? Oh, that's right, of course you don't. Well, Prima happens to be the premier Pokémon Trainer and lecturer of the Orange Archipelago. She an excellent trainer and you would do well to listen to any advice she gives. She'll be speaking on the pros and cons of evolving Pokémon and giving the exhibition match." 

Ranma becomes deep in thought as he considers the idea of going to the convention. *_Why not? It's not like I have anywhere else to go. It'll be a while before I can get back on course to Saffron City. I'm always ready to learn new stuff. It'll be good to see Professor Oak too. I guess we could stop by and check it out for a few days._* He then nodded to Oak. "All right Professor. I might take you up on that. Anyway, we got to get going now." 

"It's been good talking with you Ranma. I hope to see you at the convention." 

A while later, Ranma and Raiden were blazing down the highway on a beeline toward Stone Town. 

Meanwhile... 

*_I can't believe that I was so close to catching up with him!_* Sam Ryker was flying high on her Fearow as she read the flyer in her hand. The paper had the image of Prima in a victory pose with a Pokéball in her hand. Below was the banner in large, bright red letters, inviting all trainers to come to Stone Tone for the convention. *_Hmmmm. Well, since I can't find him, I might as well take some time off and relax. This convention at Stone Town seems like a good place to go to. I've always wanted to meet with Prima._* 

"Let's go, Fearow!" 

And in another direction... 

Jeanette Fisher was sitting near a stream as her Rapidash rested from a long day's ride. She too was also holding a flyer in her hand that invited all trainers to visit Stone Town. 

A day later… 

Ranma and Raiden exited their hotel room and decided to head toward an open area near the edge of Stone Town. The town was bustling with street vendors; souvenir booths and whatnot as the crowds of people anxiously awaited the arrival of Prima. Banners, flags and other decorations were hung all over the place. The famous Pokémon trainer was set to arrive the next day and crowds of people were pouring in by the busload. Ranma had noted that morning, a school bus with the name Pokémon Tech on its side, rumbling into the hotel parking lot. 

None of this really mattered to Ranma. Though the sights were nice, he wanted to get away from the noise and commotion and get in some training sessions with his Pokémon before Prima's arrival. He decided to have his sparring matches outside of the town and had staked out a relatively deserted area the day before. 

As he and his Pikachu neared their destination, Ranma took out three of his Pokéballs and tossed them. Razor and Bruiser were soon walking alongside of them while Wind Rider flew overhead. The pigtailed martial artist had decided to let Wildfire rest as he had been doing some hard riding for the past week. 

"Oh crud!" 

When the group arrived at the spot, Ranma groaned as he saw large groups of people and their Pokémon already there. Apparently, other trainers had gotten the same idea and had arrived early to practice in hopes of challenging Prima. There were several trainers already involved in separate matches as crowds formed around them to watch. The Anything Goes Martial Artist and Pokémon trainer sighed as he led his Pokémon around the throngs of people, searching in vain for a suitable area to train, preferably away from the crowds. However, he soon realized how futile it was, and decided instead to watch some the matches to compare techniques and get more information on certain types of Pokémon. 

One match caught his attention, as a group of students in school uniforms were crowded around a pair of trainers. Ranma recognized the students from the bus that had arrived that morning from Pokémon Tech. As he and his Pokémon made their way to the front of the crowd, he saw a young girl of about 12 or so, as she directed her Graveller against a star-shaped Pokémon. 

*STARYU, A STARFISH POKÉMON. THE LARGE GEM IN ITS CENTER IS OFTEN SOUGHT AFTER FOR JEWELRY. IT HAS A POWERFUL WATER GUN ATTACK.*

Ranma shrugged as he put away his Pokédex. Beside him, a couple of boys in school uniforms were cheering on the girl. 

"Go get him, Giselle!" 

Ranma was a bit intrigued as he remembered what Professor Oak had told him about rock-type Pokémon being weak against water-types. He then smirked as he remembered Billy Bartonne sneering at him when Raiden went up against his Golem. It was from experience that any opponent could be defeated, regardless of what was normally expected. It was just a matter of using the right techniques. 

Staryu's trainer called out. "STARYU, WATER GUN!" 

Giselle gave a small laugh as she watched Staryu let loose with a torrent of water. She nodded to her Graveller and the evolved form of a Geodude leapt up and charged at its opponent in a spinning tackle. The water simply splashed off its rocky surface and Staryu's trainer gasped as it collided with the large gem of the starfish Pokémon. The polished surface cracked under the impact and Staryu was sent flying backward. 

"Oh no!" Staryu's trainer rushed over to where his Pokémon had fallen and cradled it. He then looked up at the triumphant Giselle and her Graveller. "But rock-types are supposed to be weak against water!" 

"True, but my Graveller has so much experience, it can beat a water-type." Giselle replied smugly as her classmates gave her a round of applause. She then asked, "So who else would like to challenge me?" 

There was a bit of a silence in the people who had observed the quick match. Ranma looked around and wondered why no one was answering her challenge. It was then that he noticed a women approach the sidelines. She was wearing a mini-skirt and blouse outfit with low-heeled shoes. She was wearing dark sunglasses and a sunhat. On her shoulder she carried a small purse. She had purple hair that was mostly hidden under her hat. It was obvious that she spent much of her time outdoors, judging by her athletic figure. She held up a Pokéball and said, "I'll take up your challenge." Ranma noted that she had a calm and serene attitude, much like water flowing down a gentle stream. 

One boy beside Ranma snickered as he commented, "Boy, she's really in for a fight." 

"Why's that?" Ranma asked. 

"Pika?" 

"Giselle happens to be the top student in our advanced class at Pokémon Tech." The boy replied. 

Remembering what Professor Oak had told him, Ranma nodded. "So that means, she's got the same ranking as having six badges, right?" 

The student nodded. "Yeah. She started training her Pokémon hard after that kid beat her Cubone a year ago. She's never lost a match since then." 

"So, do you think she'll win this time?" 

"I don't see why not. Especially with what her opponent is using." The boy gestured toward the match as the stranger tossed out her Pokéball. 

"GO DEWGONG!" 

*DEWGONG, THE EVOLVED FORM OF SEEL. THIS POKÉMON IS VERY ADEPT AT SWIMMING AND IS QUITE POWERFUL IN THE WATER. IT HAS AN EXTREME DISADVANTAGE ON LAND.*

Seeing how clumsy-looking the Pokémon seemed to be on land, Giselle thought that this would be an easy win. 

"GRAVELLER, TAKEDOWN ATTACK!" 

The rock Pokémon charged at its opponent, intent on squashing it flat. However, to everyone's surprise, the Dewgong rolled to the right, just as the Graveller was about to smash into it. It then used its tail to trip up the charging Pokémon. Graveller couldn't stop its momentum and went tumbling off. 

Ranma noticed that the stranger's expression became harder, as if she had become ice. 

"DEWGONG, ICE BEAM!" 

The seal Pokémon lowered its head and pointed its horn at Graveller's unprotected back. Its horn glowed with a blue-white light and released a beam of intense cold. Graveller became encased in a block of ice. The mass slid to a stop as Dewgong pressed its advantage and leapt forward in a tackle attack. The horn made contact and smashed the rock Pokémon out of the ice and into unconsciousness. 

Giselle let off a gasp of shock as her classmates all had their jaws hanging open. The stranger became serene again as she held up her Pokémon and recalled Dewgong. 

"That was a good match, but it seems that you made the same mistake as your previous opponent did. You underestimated my Pokémon because of what you learned in school. You forgot your own words. If a Pokémon has enough experience, it can overcome any of its natural weaknesses." 

Giselle could only sink to her knees and gazed at he fallen Pokémon. "Graveller, good try. Come back." When the Pokémon was recalled, she then looked up at her opponent. "I can't believe I lost the match." 

The woman gave the girl a smile and replied, "Don't worry about it. Losing is another part of the learning process. How can you become a proper Pokémon Trainer if you cannot learn from your mistakes? Perhaps, we'll battle again." She then gave her a small wave and walked away. 

Ranma became very interested in this newcomer and walked after her. His Pokémon went after their master. 

The woman noted them following her and waited until they came to a relatively open area before turning to face them. 

"Yes, can I help you?" 

Ranma stopped and gave her a slight nod. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your win, and that I really agree with what you said back there." 

"Pikachu!" Raiden agreed. The other Pokémon nodded their agreement as well. 

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet with someone who understands the value of experience and to look for new ways of overcoming your opponent. And you are…?" 

"Oh, sorry about that. The name's Ranma Saotome." He gestured to his Pokémon. "This is Raiden, Bruiser, Razor and Wind Rider." He also took out the Pokéball that contained his Rapidash. "This is Wildfire." 

"I see. Well, I must admit that you have some very fine-looking Pokémon." She knelt down to stroke Razor on its head. 

"Slash." Razor liked the way her hand was rubbing against him. She had just the right touch. 

"Although, I must admit that it is a bit odd that you let your Pokémon run free like this." 

Ranma shrugged as he said, "Yeah, well I don't really care to keep them in their Pokéballs for too long. The only reason why I'm keeping Wildfire in his, is because he needs the rest from all the traveling that we've done. He's the best Rapidash a guy could ever ask for." 

The woman smiled. "A Rapidash? Well, I'm impressed. It's not easy training a Ponyta, much less its evolved form." 

Ranma shrugged again. "Yeah, well Wildfire and I have been through a lot together. We've all been through a lot." 

"Slash!" Razor agreed. 

"Machop!" 

"Pikachu!" 

"Pidgooo!" 

The strange woman smiled as she asked, "So tell me, Ranma. How many badges have you won? Are these all the Pokémon that you have?" 

Ranma scratched his head and smiled weakly. "Well, I've got four badges and five Pokémon. I only started as a trainer about two months ago." 

"Four badges in two months." The woman said with a thoughtful look. "Not a bad start. Although, I would have expected you to have caught the required six Pokémon by now." 

Ranma laughed with a bit of an embarrassed edge. "Well, I wouldn't exactly say that I caught these Pokémon. They… kinda… got attached to me when I first found them." Ranma then bolsted up his confidence and said, "In any case, I'm looking forward to meeting with this Prima person when she comes in. I'd like to have a match with her and maybe pick up some pointers. I haven't lost a match yet." Ranma said the last part with a bit of pride. 

The woman regarded him with a strange look, then replied, "Who knows? Perhaps you might get a chance. I hear than she's due to arrive early tomorrow morning. She's scheduled to give her lecture and an exhibition match at 5:00 pm. Will you be there?" 

"You bet! Will you be there as well?" 

The woman smiled as she said, "I can guarantee it. I'll see you there." The woman then waved her goodbyes as she walked off to head back to her hotel. 

A few minutes later, she entered a hotel that was ironically the same one that Ranma was staying at. At the time, there was no one in the main lobby except for the hotel clerk. She then took off her sunhat and sunglasses, giving her head a toss to shake out her purple hair, She then reached into her purse and took out a pair of round-lensed glasses and then smiled to the clerk. 

"Welcome back Prima." The clerk greeted with a smile. "Did anyone recognize you?" 

"No." Prima replied. "I'm glad that I caught that early flight here. It gave me a chance to observe the other trainers in action and decide who I could face off in my exhibition bout tomorrow." 

"Have you decided on your opponent?" 

"Yes I have. I'll be expecting him tommorrow at the seminar." She then went toward the elevator while replacing her glasses back into her purse and putting on her hat and shades. 

As she rode the elevator, her thoughts went back to her meeting with Ranma. She could feel something was special about him. She could tell that he had a very good relationship with his Pokémon, though he was still relatively inexperienced. After all, he only had four badges and five Pokémon. He sounded very eager to face off against her and reminded her of another brash young trainer she met on Mandarin Island. Ranma seemed to be very confident with his skills, but so was Ash Ketchum. After beating his Pikachu, Ash received a very big lesson in humility. Prima thought that Ranma could benefit from the same lesson. It's not like he had anything that could beat her, right? 

Meanwhile, two girls arrived in Stone Town late that afternoon and each checked into a different hotel. Both were excited at the prospect of meeting the famous Prima. 

In another part of town, three shadowy figures were speaking in a videophone booth. On the screen, Giovanni were giving his instructions. 

"Do you understand your orders? Tomorrow at the seminar, the highest quality of evolution stones will be on display. Furthermore, the famous trainer Prima will also be on hand with her Pokémon. You are to steal those stones and her Pokémon. They'll be among the strongest specimens in the world." 

"Yes boss!" The three members acknowledged. 

The next day, the main auditorium where the seminar was to be held became packed to the brim. Ranma had managed to get a seat near the front rows, but had to put his other Pokémon back in their Pokéballs, since it was so crowded. As of now, his Pikachu sat on his shoulder as his trainer just barely managed to squeeze in. In front of the huge audience was a large open stage with a glass case near the speaker's podium on the left side. Inside the case was an impressive array of Water, Thunder, Grass, Moon and Fire Stones. Behind the stage was a large theater screen on the wall. 

Ranma looked around as he waited for the seminar to begin. Near the middle, he saw three brothers that looked similar except that they each had different hairstyles of red, blue and yellow. Beside them was a much younger boy of around 9 or so and assumed that he must be their younger sibling. 

"Hey, looks like the Battling Eevee brothers are here too!" One person remarked as he said to his companion while pointing toward the four brothers. 

"I wonder if they're going to be the ones to battle Prima?" The other said. 

"Who knows? She might just take on all three forms of their Eevees." 

"I don't know if she can beat a Jolteon, Flareon and a Vaporeon. And that little brother's unevolved Eevee is pretty tough too." 

Ranma took out his Pokédex. He knew about Flareon, but those other forms were new to him. 

*EEVEE, THE EVOLUTION POKÉMON. IT CAN EVOLVE INTO ONE OF THREE TYPES, DEPENDING ON WHICH STONE IS USED ON IT. A WATER STONE WILL GIVE A VAPOREON, THE BUBBLEJET POKÉMON. A THUNDER STONE WILL YIELD JOLTEON, THE ELECTRIC POKÉMON. A FIRE STONE WILL YIELD FLAREON, THE FLAME POKÉMON.*

After reviewing the information, Ranma then looked up as someone was walking up toward the stage. He smiled as he recognized the individual and waved to him. 

"Hey, professor Oak!" 

"Pikachu!" 

Professor Oak caught sight of Ranma and waved back to him before ascending the stage and went to the speaker's podium. He then spoke into the microphone to get everyone's attention. At the same time, the huge viewscreen lit up and depicted the professor on the huge monitor. 

"Good afternoon. Welcome to this year's Pokémon Convention. I'm Professor Oak and it's good to see that so many trainers and gym leaders have come here today." There was a big round of applause. "As you all know, this year's theme is based on the question of whether or not one should evolve one's Pokémon. We will about how to go about handling Pokémon and different training methods. So without further ado, let me introduce our first expert in the field of Pokology. Our first guest speaker is Professor Westwood." 

There was another round of applause as an old, balding man with a big nose came on stage. 

The seminar went along smoothly as Ranma listened to what each speaker had to say. Now normally, if it didn't have anything to do with martial arts, Ranma would have dropped off to sleep. However, the seminar was all about Pokémon, and since Pokémon attacks were now a part of his Anything Goes Style, there was enough to keep Ranma's attention. He also picked up a few pointers about Pokémon care as well, which would benefit his Pokémon greatly. Some noted speakers were Professor Ivy, some geeky nerd named Seymour, one of the Elite Four Pokémon Trainers named Bruno, Charles Goodshow, a guy named Bill, and of course several dozen Nurse Joys. The viewscreen went alive as it depicted the effects of evolution stones and the attacks of certain Pokémon. Ranma was soon thinking about how to duplicate those very skills. He was especially interested in creating the Hyper Beam and Solar Beam. 

Eventually, the main event had finally arrived when Professor Oak announced, "And now, for our final guest speaker, let me introduce you to one of the finest Pokémon experts in the world. Coming all the way from the Orange Islands, please give a warm welcome to Prima!" 

There was a thunderous roar as the entire audience gave the trainer a standing ovation. The person in question walked in from offstage and waved to the masses. Ranma's eyes widened as he recognized Prima from the day before as she removed her shades and hat. He wasn't the only one. Back near the rear of the crowd, Giselle and her classmates gasped as they saw Prima come on stage. 

Prima smiled as she took to the podium and said, "Thank you all for inviting me here to participate in this year's Pokémon Convention. It is good to be here in Stone Town." Prima put on her glasses and then began her own lecture on Pokémon. 

As she discussed the importance of being empathic toward one's Pokémon, Ranma found himself agreeing with some of her points. He also noticed that she was once agin as calm as gently flowing water. She was so different when battling others and he likened her attitude to a balance between two different personalities. She certainly knew her Yang from her Yin. 

Finally though, the moment everyone was waiting for had arrived. After concluding with her lecture, she then called out to the audience, "And now, I would like to demonstrate some of the battle techniques that I have discussed today. Yesterday, I had been in disguise as I met several of the trainers that are gathered here today. I will now conclude this convention by engaging in an exhibition match with one of the trainers in the audience. And I see that my opponent is here today." 

The people in the audience all seemed to lean forward to hear the name of whoever would battle Prima. 

The famous Pokémon trainer gestured toward the man in the rafters operating the main spotlight. The light swiveled down and shone on top of Ranma. 

"Will the young man with the Pikachu that has a headband, please come forward?" 

As soon as they heard this, Jeanette and Sam both looked up from their seats and saw the Ranma's face on the big monitor. 

"Ranma!" Both cried out as they saw him being urged forward by the rest of the crowds. 

Ranma was a bit more than nervous at being singled out as he was led toward the front. He had been chosen to battle Prima in front of all these people. Looks he got his wish to battle her, though he would have preferred a less public scene. 

Prima waited for the crowds to calm down then spoke through the microphone. "Please, tell us your name and your experience as a Pokémon trainer." 

Ranma was handed a small microphone by one of the stage hands and said, "Uh, it's Ranma Saotome. I've been… a trainer for about two months now and I've got four badges." 

"I see." Prima nodded as she stepped down from the podium to face off against him. The stage hands then used the ovehead mikes to catch their conversation and broadcast it to the audience while the screen depicted them. "And have you ever lost a match?" 

Some of Ranma's pride and confidence came back to him as he said, "So far, no." 

"Well, you must think of yourself as a good trainer." Prima said with a smile, though her thoughts were more along the lines of, _prepare to get your tail whipped._

"I'd like to think so." Ranma replied while thinking _I may just show you a thing or two._

"Let's find out then." Prima remarked as she took out her first Pokéball. "We shall have a three-on-three match. GO JYNX!" 

Ranma narrowed his eyes as the human-looking Pokémon appeared. 

*JYNX, THE HUMAN-LOOKING POKÉMON. THIS POKÉMON SPECIALIZES IN THE LOVELY KISS ATTACK AND CAN ALSO USE VARIOUS PSYCHIC ATTACKS.*

Ranma nodded to his Pikachu to move forward. Ever since their encounter with Butch and Cassidy's Drowzee, Ranma had been training his Pokémon in techniques designed to counter psychic attacks. They weren't fully developed yet, but they'll do in a pinch. If they were fast enough. 

Prima smiled as she looked at Raiden. "Please, feel free to make the first move." 

"Okay…" Ranma nodded to Raiden. The electric rodent began powering up his battle aura. 

Prima's eyes widened as she saw the mouse begin to glow with a blue light. "W-W-What the…?" 

"Don't worry." Ranma assured. "Raiden's is just getting psyched up." 

In the crowds, one person was really worried. She had seen this before and if Raiden was about to do what she suspected he would do, then Prima was in for the shock of her life. 

Sam blurted out. "Prima! Look out! He's going to…" 

"LIGHTNING TACKLE ATTACK!" 

Prima caught only a brief glimpse of Raiden as he suddenly shot forward and became a bolt of lightning. 

"COUNTER WITH REFLE…" 

It was too late. Before Jynx could power up her defensive shield, Raiden was already across the stage in less than a heartbeat and slammed into her head, knocking her back. Before she could recover, the Pikachu began raining high-speed punches on her face. It has been Ranma's experience that keeping them dazed and reeling was the best way to prevent psychic Pokémon from launching any mental attacks. 

"ANYTHING GOES!" 

Raiden followed through by grabbing one of Jynx's arms, put her into an airplane spin and tossed her up into the air. He leapt up to continue the attack with midair combinations. Jynx was already dazed from the first beating and wasn't allowed a second to focus. 

Prima could only stare in amazement, along with the rest of the crowd as they watched Jynx get pounded. Raiden finally finished as he tossed Jynx back down to the stage. 

"SHOCK ATTACK!" 

Just as Jynx hit the stage, Raiden's electric sacs powered up and then let loose with a blast of electricty. There was a huge flash as the voltage struck hard into Prima's Pokémon. A huge dust cloud formed from the explosion. 

Prima and the audience had to turn away from the sudden brightness of the attack. When the smoke cleared, the crowds and especially Prima stared in total disbelief. 

There was Jynx, embedded in a hole in the stage. The Pokémon had been pummeled into submission and the electric attack had just added insult to injury. Jynx was not getting up any time soon. Raiden landed beside Jynx and gave his opponent a respectful bow. 

"H-H-How did it…?" Prima was more than stunned. Since when did a Pikachu specialize in physical attacks? And a normal shock attack wouldn't have been able to hurt Jynx like that. That Lightning Tackle Attack was also something new. 

Ranma shrugged as he motioned to Raiden to rejoin him. "Like you said before, with enough experience, any Pokémon can overcome its natural weaknesses and find new ways to defeat an opponent. Psychic Pokémon are strong in both mental and physical attacks, but they're a bit on the slow side with using their physical skills. They also depend too much on their psychic attacks, which makes them more vulnerable when they're not able to focus. I guess I was just lucky that you allowed me the first move, otherwise Jynx would have been able to better defend itself." 

Prima felt a bit of anger rising in her, then reconsidered Ranma's words. He was right. She had asked for it when she offered him the first move without fully understanding the capabilities of his Pokémon. She had thought there was something different about Ranma, and now he had just proved it. It had been a long time since she lost the first round of a match. This may just prove to be interesting and she was curious at what his other Pokémon can do. 

She smiled at her opponent as she recalled her Jynx and came out with another Pokéball. 

"I have to admit, you surprised me. It's been a long time since an opponent could catch me off guard like that. Now let's see if you can handle this one. GO SLOWBRO!" 

The Pokéball opened up and the evolved form of a Slowpoke appeared. By now, Prima was taking Ranma a bit more seriously. The pigtailed martial artist could see it in her eyes. She had become like ice again, relentless and unforgiving. 

*SLOWBRO, THE EVOLVED FORM OF SLOWPOKE. WHEN A SHELLDER CLAMPS ONTO A SLOWPOKE'S TAIL, SLOWPOKE EVOLVES AND SHELLDER TAKES ON A SPIRAL SHAPE. SLOWPOKE SPECIALIZES IN VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHIC TYPES.*

"Okay… LET'S GO BRUISER!" 

Ranma's Machop appeared and began charging at his opponent. In the audience, Jeanette watched with interest as she wanted to see what Ranma had taught Machop since he left Crimson City. 

Prima knew better than to let Ranma's Pokémon get near as fighting types specialized in close-quarters combat. 

"SLOWBRO, DISABLE!" 

"Slow… bro." The Slowbro began focusing its psychic powers and released a mental barrier that froze Bruiser in his tracks. 

Prima smiled as she said to Ranma. "You should know better than to use a fighting-type Pokémon against an opponent that strike from long distance. SLOWBRO, CONFUSION!" 

Slowbro nodded as it used its telekinetic powers to lift the Machop off the ground, then slam it back down. It began repeating the process, slamming Bruiser down on the stage several times. 

Ranma growled as he tried to think of a way to counter Slowbro's assault. Remembering back to the time he fought Drowzee, he got inspired. 

"BRUISER, MEDITATION TECHNIQUE!" 

"Machop?" Bruiser was a bit confused, then remembered back to when Ranma had taught him how to focus his battle aura. As he was being picked up to be smashed against the floor again, the martial arts Pokémon closed his eyes and concentrated. His battle aura began to flare and the crowd became entranced by the bright blue glow. 

Prima watched in amazement as the Machop was surrounded by a halo of light. Slowbro stopped in its attack as the strange energies seemed to counter his own mental energies. 

"MOKO TAKABISHA!" 

Machop concentrated hard and was able to slowly overcome the effects of Slowbro's Disable Attack. It was a strain but the Pokémon managed to bring his arms forward and focus his ki energies into a sphere before his palms. 

"W-What's that?" Prima had never seen a Machop do that before. 

Jeanette gasped as she recognized the attack. It was the same one from before. Ranma had taught Machop how to do it! 

"MA… CHOP!" 

The ki blast shot forward and blasted into Slowbro. Since it was so busy using its psychic powers to keep the Machop aloft, that it didn't have time to erect a defense. The ki attack exploded and sent Slowbro flying backward. Bruiser landed lightly on his feet as the psychic energies that was holding him was dispersed. 

"Okay, show Slowpoke why I called you Bruiser!" 

"Machop!" The fighting Pokémon wasted no time and was upon his opponent in a second. Just as Slowbro got up, Bruiser began landing punch after high-powered punch on it. 

Prima was flabbergasted as she saw her Pokémon become a punching bag. She couldn't believe this was happening. Just over a week ago, Slowbro had defeated Machoke with ease but now its unevolved form was pounding the living daylights out of it. She saw that Slowbro would not last much longer. With the Machop so close and not letting up in its attack, Slowbro couldn't concentrate to use its psychic powers. 

"SLOWBRO, MEGA-PUNCH!" 

Slowbro just managed to step back and rear back a fist, which glowed with a bright light. It then brought its fist forward and… 

Everyone gasped. 

"N-No way!" Sam stuttered. 

"H-How…?" Jeanette wondered. 

Prima could only stare. Machop was smiling as he grasped Slowbro's outstretched fist in a viselike grip with one hand. Though he wasn't as fast as Ranma yet, Bruiser was still quick enough to block Slowbro's Mega-Punch and absorb the energy within it. 

"BRUISER! FINISH IT OFF WITH YOUR HYPER-SLAM ATTACK!" 

"Machop!" 

Slowbro was pulled off its feet and then slammed into the stage via judo throw. Bruiser did not release its arm though as he continued to slam his opponent into the stage several more times. 

**WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!**

Prima could only watch helplessly as Machop suddenly leapt up high in the air with Slowbro held high over his head. Then Machop dived down with Prima's Pokémon held out in front. The two hit the stage, but Slowbro took the full impact and was embedded into another hole in the stage, causing another dust cloud to be kicked up. When the dust cleared, the Machop was standing triumphantly over his beaten foe. 

"Slow… bro." 

"I… don't believe it." Prima mumbled. Slowbro had been one of her stronger Pokémon and this amateur was beating her! However, Bruiser wasn't exactly feeling good either. His body was extremely sore from being slammed repeatedly into the stage and had large bruises and several cuts all over him. 

"Ma… chop…" 

Ranma ran up to his weakened Pokémon as he pitched forward in exhaustion. Bruiser had taken quite a beating from Slowbro's psychic attacks, and Ranma saw that he was in no shape to continue on. He was going to need some extensive care in the Pokémon Center, later on. 

As the martial artist cradled his Machop in his arms, Bruiser looked up and smiled at his trainer. 

"Ma…" 

"I'm proud of you, Bruiser. I'm sorry that I put you through that. You'll be all right, I promise you." 

"Chop…" 

Ranma nodded as he set Bruiser down and recalled him back into his Pokéball. He shook his head. He shouldn't have sent Bruiser against that Slowbro. Despite his intense training, the Machop was still relatively inexperienced compared to his other Pokémon. Also, Ranma had yet to develop more effective countermeasures against psychic attacks. Battle auras may partially counteract the energies of psychic techniques, but it was only by luck that Machop nailed Slowbro with his ki blast, since Prima had not expected something like that. This was the first time that his Pokémon had suffered badly and though Bruiser had won, the cost was pretty high. 

"I'm… very impressed…" Prima said with awe. 

Ranma took a deep breath, then walked back to his side. He then turned around and said in an emotionless voice, "Let's finish this." 

Prima could see the determination in his eyes and nodded. For some reason, this was no longer a demonstration match. He was like her now, unrelenting and focused on one thing; victory. However, she was like ice during a battle. He on the other hand was like a smoldering volcano, just waiting to erupt. They were polar opposites: fire and ice, hot and cold. With a nod, she threw out her third Pokéball. 

"GO CLOYSTER!" 

The huge clam Pokémon appeared before them. Ranma gazed at it for a moment, then brought out his Pokémon. 

"GO RAZOR!" 

Prima saw the Sandslash and thought to herself. _Hmmm, ground-type. Normally supposed to be weak against water types, but after what I've seen, I wouldn't bet on it. It seems that this trainer doesn't follow the normal rules of engagement and has figured out ways to overcome the natural weaknesses of each of his Pokémon. I'm going to have to go all out on this one!_

"CLOYSTER! MULTIPLE WATER GUN ATTACK!" 

The bivalve Pokémon opened up its shell and released five streams of water at very high pressure. 

Ranma snapped his fingers and Razor smashed into the surface of the stage and began digging. He was soon underground before the streams of water could touch him. The floor rumbled as the mouse Pokémon began tunneling his way toward Cloyster. 

"CLOYSTER! WITHDRAW!" Prime knew that the Sandslash would emerge somewhere near her Pokémon and attack. Surely Cloyster's thick shell would protect it. After all, it could withstand a bomb. 

As if on cue, Razor exploded out from the ground beside Cloyster, just as it closed its shell. 

"RAZOR, BUZZSAW BARRAGE!" 

The mouse curled up into a ball and extended the quills on his back. He then began spinning furiously against one side of Cloyster's shell. A high-pitched grinding noise echoed throughout the auditorium as bright sparks began to fly off the hard surface of the clam. The audience had to cover their ears as the noise became unbearable. It seemed that neither Pokémon was going to back down. Irresistible force had met the immovable object. 

Cloyster's shell was considered among the strongest of Pokémon, but there was a critical drawback. It could only attack when its shell was open. Prima didn't dare order her Pokémon to try and attack with Razor cutting away from the outside like that. Then her eyes widened even further as she saw tiny cracks beginning to form where the Sandslash was spinning against. He was actually cutting through! The shell was about to give way! 

"CLOYSTER, MOVE BACK!" 

The clam suddenly rocked to one side, pressing the side that Razor was grinding against. This caught the Sandslash off guard and threw him off. Razor stopped spinning and did a neat tuck and roll, returning to his feet and took a battle stance. He was a bit dizzy from all the spinning, but he was still ready to fight. 

Prima frowned as she saw the deep gash in Cloyster's shell. Razor had come very close to cutting through. In another few seconds, he would have penetrated! This made Prima decided that it was time to pull out all the stops! She hadn't felt this exhilarated in years! This was what Pokémon battles were all about! 

"CLOYSTER! AURORA BEAM!" 

"Cloyster!" 

The clam glowed with an intense light and suddenly released a huge, multicolored beam of energy at Razor. 

Ranma gave the order for one of Razor's newest techniques. 

"COUNTER WITH AURA ABSORPTION!" 

Razor curled into a ball on the floor and began focusing his aura to its maximum. The blast struck him dead on and he became obscured in a huge explosion. The audience shut their eyes and turned away from the sudden brilliance. Even Prima and Ranma had to look away to avoid being blinded. 

When the beam finally dispersed, Prima smiled as she looked at the scene. She was sure that Cloyster's strongest attack had taken out Razor. Then she became pale at the sight that greeted her. 

Razor was not only standing but was now glowing with a multicolored aura. Behind him, Ranma nodded. The new technique had been an enhancement on the Super Reflect that Razor had used when he had faced off against Lt. Surge's Raichu. Instead of letting the battle aura take the brunt of an energy attack, it was instead used to absorb the energies of his opponent's attack and then turn it against it. 

"RAZOR, AURORA BEAM RETURN!" 

"Slash!" 

Prima blanched as she saw the Sandslash thrust out his paws. The energies contained within his aura then flowed into those paws and were re-released into the same beam that Cloyster had used against him. The full power was then shot back at the clam, with interest as Razor added his own ki to the blast. 

"CLOYSTER, EVADE!" 

Cloyster couldn't move fast enough and was only able to turn the undamaged side of its shell toward the attack. The beam struck the shell hard and Cloyster was driven back. It was almost thrown off the stage when the beam finally subsided. However, both sides of its shell were now weakened to the point in which the clam could no longer use it for protection. It was also very weak from firing off its last attack and the damage it sustained. 

Ranma saw his chance to finish the match and said to Razor, "RAZOR… FINAL ATTACK! ERUPTION BLAST!" 

Prima gasped as she saw Razor begin to power up. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was about to lose… 

Razor was about to release his attack when small, black spheres began dropping from above. When they struck the ground, they exploded, releasing billowing clouds of noxious fumes. The audience began screaming in panic as the entire auditorium was filled with gases. Many of them got in each other's way as they hastened toward the exits. Unfortunately, the clouds were also filled with paralysis powder and many were stopped in their tracks. 

Ranma saw what was happening and immediately recalled Razor into his Pokéball. Prima did the same and took back her injured Cloyster. Both trainers managed to avoid being paralyzed by ducking behind some curtains. When clouds of gas and powder began to settle down, Ranma peeked out from his hiding place with Raiden and groaned as he heard some sickening intro music. 

_Oh no! Not again! They're like bad yen coins! They keep turning up!_

This time however, THREE members of Team Rocket stepped out from the shadows. They were all male and bore a striking resemblance to a certain trio. One had a bowl haircut and was a little short. The second had a very short buzz cut and was rather portly. The third had curly sideburns. Each wore a black Team Rocket uniform with a big letter R on their chests. 

"Get ready for trouble!" The first guy said. 

"'Cause were gonna burst your bubble!" The second added. 

"And reduce your hopes to rubble!" The third exclaimed. 

"To introduce the world to a new sensation!" 

"To bring all people under our regulation!" 

"And add to our might by conquering the nation!" 

"To destroy all hope for peace and love!" 

"To dash all light from the stars above!" 

"And we'll do it with an iron glove!" 

"Larry!" 

"Curly!" 

"Moe!" 

"Team Rocket, blasting everyone at the speed of light!" 

"Surrender now or get out of our sight!" 

"And those who don't, prepare to fight!" 

That when a Beedrill appeared before them as they took a pose. 

"OH, WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?!!!" 

All three looked to one side and saw Ranma appearing before them from behind the curtain. Ranma was fuming mad now. He had been on the verge of defeating Prima and then these jokers had to appear and spoil everything. Raiden was also not happy to see another Team Rocket. 

Prima looked from the sidelines and saw Ranma facing off against three members of Team Rocket. She didn't recognize these people but knew about Team Rocket from her encounter with Ash and his friends. She could see that Ranma was outnumbered and Prima couldn't be of much help as her Pokémon were all too tired and injured from battling Ranma's. The rest of the audience were paralyzed and could do nothing but watch. 

"Huh? Who are you?" Moe asked. 

"The name's Ranma Saotome." Ranma growled. He then gestured to his Pikachu to move back. He wanted to take these guys out himself. 

"Pika?" Raiden looked up at his master. Seeing that look in his eyes told the electric mouse that his master was set on teaching these dopes a lesson, personally. After a moment, Raiden nodded and backed away. 

"Hah! You think you can defeat our Pokémon without using yours?" Moe scoffed as he and his comrades took out three more Pokéballs. 

"I don't think I can, I KNOW I can. Besides, pounding you three would be just the therapy I need to work off the stress." 

"Ranma Saotome?" Larry said, then cocked his head in thought. "Hey, he's that guy that the boss is offering a big bonus for!" 

"Man! This our lucky day! Not only do we get a chance to swipe those evolution stones and all the Pokémon from those trainers, but we get this guy too!" Curly said excitedly. 

"Don't start spending that money before you earned it." Ranma said as he went into a stance. "Anyway, whatever your boss is offering won't be nearly enough to cover your stay at the hosiptal!" 

"We'll see about that! BEEDRILL! TWIN NEEDLE!" 

Before the Bug Pokémon could fly forward, Ranma pulled back his hands and began focusing his energies. As the Beedrill started its charge, his palms suddenly crackled with electricity. To the amazed eyes of the audience and especially to Prima's, Ranma threw his palms out and released a sizzling bolt of electricity. 

"SHOCK ATTACK!" 

Beedrill was stopped in its charge as the voltage hit it. In less than a second, it fluttered to the ground and began twitching. 

"W-What the…?" Prima thought that she needed new glasses. The audience were still paralyzed to do anything but stare at the spectacle. 

Team Rocket was also flabbergasted. 

"Huh?" 

"What gives?" 

"How'd he do that?" 

Ranma smirked as he gestured with a finger. "Next?" 

Moe wasted no time and threw out his Pokéball. "THRASH ATTACK PRIMEAPE!" 

The Pokéball opened up to reveal the evolved form of a Mankey. 

"Primeape!" 

The monkey Pokémon charged at Ranma and the two were engulfed in a huge cloud of dust. There were several sounds of a huge scuffle taking place and Moe smirked. 

"Make sure he's in one piece, Primeape! We need to bring him to the boss!" 

Suddenly, an impact was heard and something went shooting out of the dust cloud and was sent hurtling upward, followed by another shape. 

Moe and the others saw in disbelief as Ranma leapt up to thrity feet, grabbed Primeape and held him across his shoulders. 

"Check out my Seismic Toss!" Ranma rotated once before sending Primeape speeding back down toward the stage. 

**CRASH!**

"Prime… ape…" 

Ranma landed easily on his feet and dusted off his hands. The three Team Rocket members were now trying to put their eyeballs back in their sockets. Their opponent had not a scratch on him and Primeape was bruised, battered and unconscious. 

"T-That can't be right!" Curly stuttered. 

"Says who?" Ranma shrugged. "Got any more, or do I have to take you guys on next?" He gave them an evil smile. 

That was all the incentive they needed as they tossed out every Pokémon they had. 

"GO SPEAROW!" 

"GO HITMONLEE!" 

"GO PINCER!" 

"GO CHARMELEON!" 

Ranma smirked as he held up his arms as if they were wings and concentrated his ki. As the Pokémon were about to launch their attacks, he brought down his arms. 

"HURRICANE GUST!" 

Though his Wind Cannon technique was more damaging, the adapted version of his Pigeotto's Gust Attack could cover more area. Dust and small items were sent airborne as a sudden blast of wind was created. All of Team Rocket's Pokémon were caught in the gale force and were swept off the stage. They were all sent flying a nearby wall and were gone from sight. The only sign of their departure as a huge gaping hole in one vacant side of the auditorium. 

"No way!" 

"H-How did he…?" 

"T-That's impossible!" 

On the sidelines, Prima was also thinking along the same lines. _He's… actually using Pokémon attacks! Incredible!_

Ranma then began to slowly approach his now defenseless foes while cracking his knuckles. It was obvious to all that he was going to deliver some serious pain. 

The three began backing away while giving Ranma very nervous smiles. He was now glowing with an angry light as his battle aura flared. 

"H-Hey pal, there's no need to get mad." 

"Uh… yeah, it was all a joke, really!" 

"If ya don't wanna go, then ya don't hafta and… RUN!" 

Larry, Curly and Moe did an about-face and began running for their lives. They headed toward the new opening in the wall, hoping to getaway from this trainer… no, monster they faced. 

Ranma snorted as he watched the cowards flee. Then he decided to let one of his Pokémon give them a proper send-off. 

"RAZOR, ERUPTION BLAST!" 

Razor appeared from his Pokéball and began focusing his energies. Then, just as Team Rocket was almost out of sight, the Sandslash jumped up, then came down with his paws slamming the ground. 

"Slash!" 

The ground nearby rumbled as if a seismic tremor was passing through it. The disturbance rumbled beneath the surface and followed after Team Rocket. When it caught up them, the ki energy that the Sandslash had sent through the ground exploded violently beneath the villain's feet. The trio was sent airborne! Team Rocket was blasting off and was soon distant dots in the sky. 

At Stone Town's police station… 

"Officer Jenny, here is the report on today's arrest warrents." 

The Jenny of Stone Town nodded as she took the paper from an aide. She began perusing the report at her desk and said, "Hmmm, it looks like three more members of Team Rocket have been sighted in Stone Town. Put out an APB on them and…" 

**CRASH!**

Jenny and her aide were startled when they heard the noise just outside the station. They were soon rushing to the rear of the station with the other police officers and stopped in their tracks at the sight before them. 

There was Moe, Larry, and Curly. Their beaten and battered bodies were covered in garbage after landing in an open dumpster. Garbage had found garbage. 

Jenny turned to her aide and said, "Cancel the APB." 

Some time later at the auditorium… 

Prima smiled as she took to the podium. "Trainers and esteemed colleagues, today is most certainly a day to be remembered. It seems that even a veteran such as myself can still learn a few things from the next generation of Pokémon trainers. My opponent has shown to all of us that LEARNING from one's own Pokémon is just as important as teaching them. One should never stop learning as a trainer, for who knows what one can learn from one's Pokémon. I would like to close this convention by telling you to never stop learning. There are far more things to discover about Pokémon and ourselvs as we all strive to become Pokémon masters. Let this boy's performance serve as an example to us all!" 

There was a thunderous round of applause as Ranma was urged to appear on stage by Prima and the other speakers. The pigtailed boy nervously took to the stage and gave the audience a wave. Raiden was on his shoulder and smiling brightly. 

Some time later… 

Ranma huffed and puffed as he hid behind a nearby booth. Raiden was slumped over his shoulder. The two had been dodging reporters and admirers all afternoon. Dozens of trainers had been following him around, begging for him to teach them his secrets. They just wouldn't leave him alone. Leaping to heights of thirty feet to escape them only caused more excitement and made his pursuers even more determined. He had been challenged to no less than fifty Pokémon battles. Sometimes he would battle their Pokémon, and sometimes his Pokémon would fight. It wasn't long before he and his Pokémon were ready to collapse from exhaustion. 

Ranma had finally managed to find a moment of peace and was more than ready to leave Stone Town and head off to the next Pokémon Gym. Wildfire had not been used and should be ready to run again. He was so tired as he took out Wildfire's Pokéball, that he didn't notice someone approaching him. 

"I know what it's like, being famous." 

Ranma looked up and saw Prima as she was ready to leave as well. He nodded toward her as he held out his hand. "It was a pleasure meeting with you and it was a really great battle." 

"Yes, well if Team Rocket had not interfered then you would have won. It's been a long time since I had a challenge as good as that one." Prima shook his hand and then gestured for him to walk with him. 

"Hey, you were pretty good too. So are you leaving now?" 

"Yes, I'm heading back to the Orange Islands. My car is waiting for me to take me back to the ship. Before I leave, I would like to talk to you." 

"What about?" 

"I was very amazed at your Pokémon and you. You seem to be on a much different level than most trainers and even some masters. What's your secret?" 

Ranma thought for a moment then shrugged. "There isn't any secret. Like you said, I just learned from my Pokémon as they learned from me." 

"But how…?" 

Ranma held up a hand and replied, "It's a long story and some of it you'd never believe if I told you. I just… go by a philosophy of learning from Raiden and the others as I train with them." 

"Train with them? You mean train them." 

"No, I mean TRAIN WITH THEM. I don't believe in putting my Pokémon through any kind of training that I'm not willing to go through. I learned how to do Pokémon attacks the same way that they learned how to do new attacks. I know that doesn't make much sense but…" 

"Actually, it makes a lot of sense." Prima said while nodding. "If you really do train WITH your Pokémon, then I can understand why they are so willing to give you their best efforts. You have understood them by undergoing the same hardships they endure as they learn from you. You really have comprehended the way your Pokémon feel and think, even more so than I have with mine." 

"Uh… I guess… I never thought of it that way." 

Prima gave him another smile as she reached into her purse and took out a small object. "Here." 

"Uh… what's this?" 

Ranma looked down at the item that Prima handed to him. It was a small badge that seemed to be made of coral and was shaped like a star. In its center was a bright white gemstone. 

"That is the Diamond Staryu Badge. As a high-ranking member of the Orange League, I am authorized to award special badges that have the same standing as winning against a gym leader. In recognition of your extraordinary skills as a trainer and the only one in over ten years to have defeated me, I am proud to present you with this badge." 

"But I didn't beat you and…" 

"You would have. That Eruption Blast Attack of your Sandslash's would have finished my Cloyster. You shouldn't be so modest. You earned that badge. I haven't given out a badge in very long time." 

Ranma was speechless for a long time before nodding his assent. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome, Ranma. Well, it's time for me to get going. If you ever come to the Orange Archipelago, look me up on Mandarin Island. I promise that I'll give you a much better match." 

"I'll look forward to it." Ranma said as he shook her hand. 

As he waved goodbye to Prima, Ranma was unaware that two girls had suddenly spotted him and were now running toward him. 

"Ranma!" 

To be continued… 

Author's notes

Whoa! That has got to be the longest chapter to FOP I have ever written! Stay tuned for chapter twelve! 


	12. Chapter 12: Things Get Ducky

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: Help! A short-tempered, flat-chested, uncute tomboy is chasing me with a mallet and is demanding that I write her with... WHAM! 

: Thoughts  
* *: Pokédex responses 

**

Chapter 12 

**

Things Get Ducky 

"RANMA!" 

Ranma sweatdropped as he saw Jeanette Fisher and Sam Ryker run up to him. He wasn't expecting the two of them to show up just now and he was at a loss of what to do. 

"Ranma! I finally found you!" Both girls said simultaneously as they stopped in front of him. 

"Er... Jeanette, Sam... uh it's nice to see you again, er... so what are you...?" 

WHAP! 

"Ow! What was that for?!" Ranma rubbed his cheek after being slapped by Jeanette. 

"YOU BAKA!" Jeanette fumed. "How dare you run off like that?! We were supposed to be traveling together!" 

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Sam retorted as she faced off against the new girl. "Why'd you slap him?" 

"What business is it of yours? Ranma is supposed to be traveling with me." Jeanette stated as-a-matter-of-factly. 

"What?!" Sam then turned to Ranma with a deadly look. "Ranma... who is she?" 

Ranma could only give a weak smile as he answered, "Er, Sam... this is Jeanette Fisher from the Crimson City Pokémon Gym and Dojo. Jeanette... this is Sam Ryker... the Gym Leader from Viridian City." 

Raiden looked up at his master's uneasiness and then breathed out a mushroom puff. Things were going to get more complicated. 

A short time later at Stone Town's Pokémon Center... 

"Don't worry about your Machop." Nurse Joy replied as she spoke to Ranma and the girls. "He's just exhausted and needs some rest. All those bruises will be gone eventually. He'll be all right by tomorrow morning. The rest of your Pokémon are also recovering nicely." 

"Thanks." Ranma said as the sister-in-law of the Viridian City Joy went off to make her rounds. The Anything Goes martial artist, Raiden and the girls were currently eating in the lounge. After introductions were made and stories were traded about how each girl had met Ranma, the tension between the two females had subsided a bit. 

"So you're on your way to Saffron City?" Jeanette asked. 

"Yeah." Ranma replied as he bit into a sandwich. "I'd like to try my luck against this Sabrina girl and her psychic Pokémon." 

"Judging by the way you handled Prima's Jynx and Slowbro, I'd say that Marsh Badge is in the bag." Jeanette remarked as she ate her dinner. 

Ranma shook his head. "Nope, I was lucky. I don't have much experience against psychic-type Pokémon. The reason why I beat Prima's was because I caught her off-guard. She didn't know what my Pokémon could do." 

"Well, your Machop beat that Slowbro. What were those attacks it used?" 

Ranma sighed as he said, "The Meditation technique is kind of like a barrier to offset the Disable attack. However, it's not perfect. Bruiser could barely move to do his ki attack." 

"Ki attack?" 

Jeanette nodded. "I've heard of ki." 

"What is it?" Sam asked. 

"I studied martial arts under my mother and she told me that ki is the inner energy that is given off by all living things. Some masters of the art can use it to enhance their physical moves, improve their endurance and in some cases, speed up their healing." She then regarded Ranma with a bit of awe. "From what I've seen of you and you're Pokémon, I'd say that you could beat all of those masters hands down. I didn't know ki could be fired off like that, let alone be able to do Pokémon attacks." 

"You're pretty sharp." Ranma grudgingly admitted. "In any case, me and my Pokémon still need better ways to counter psychic attacks. With all this publicity, I have a feeling that I won't be able to catch Sabrina off-guard like I did with Prima. I need a psychic-type Pokémon." 

Sure enough, in Saffron City's Pokémon Gym... 

_Hmmmm, this is new._ Sabrina thought as she watched the news footage on television. The screen depicted Ranma and his incredible Pokémon, as he battled against the famous trainer from the Orange Islands as well as the trio from Team Rocket. 

"Haunter!" 

The psychic trainer smiled as the ghost Pokémon floated by and gave her one of his more funny faces. Its eyes bugged out and its tongue waved back and forth. Sabrina giggled a bit before returning her attention to the television. 

_Interesting... a trainer that can actually duplicate a Pokémon's attacks. His Pokémon are extraordinary by themselves._ She then looked down at a magazine that depicted Ranma's picture as he stood with Wildfire and Laura Laramie. The headlines read: RAPIDASH SETS NEW POKÉMON LANDSPEED RECORD OF 300 MPH. 

_I wonder if I'll get the chance to face off against him?_

Back in Stone Town... 

"Look girls, it's really nice that you want to go with me and all, but..." 

"But what? I don't see any problems." Sam shrugged as she moved a bit closer to Ranma. "After all, I'll bet that it gets really lonely on the road by yourself and I'm sure that you'd like the company." 

"Hey! What about me?" Jeanette interjected. "I'm going with him!" 

"Says who?" 

"Says me!" 

Ranma definitely didn't like where this was going and tried to calm things down. "Uh, it's not necessary, really! Besides, why would anyone would want to follow me around? I mean, I'm just a beginner at this Pokémon training stuff and you two probably have way more experience than I do. I mean, Sam is a Gym Leader and Jeanette has probably got the required eight badges." 

Both girls smiled as they saw this as an opportunity. 

"All the more reason for me to come along." Jeanette said with a grin. "I can show you all the Pokémon Gyms I went to and lend you some of my experience in handling Pokémon. In exchange, you can teach me that Anything Goes Martial Arts of yours. Besides, I have to make sure that Bruiser is being taken care of. My mother did give him to you, remember?" 

"Hey! Aren't you forgetting something? I'm a Gym Leader! I've got way more experience at Pokémon battling and stuff and besides, I'd make much better company!" Sam turned back to Ranma. "I can cook as well. It must be pretty boring eating out of cans and stuff. I'd be great to have around." 

Ranma was a bit perplexed at how this situation was getting out of control. Although, he had to admit that having some home cooking would be a welcomed change from eating on the road and out of vending machines, and fast food joints. However, he was still uneasy at the thought of having two high-spirited and very attractive girls traveling with him. Although, since he came to this world, he had begun to have a good appreciation of the opposite sex, without his father always interfering. For some reason, Genma had always prevented him from getting too close to girls when he was growing up. The fat panda had always maintained that such things should not distract a true martial artist, but Ranma had this nagging feeling that his father had some ulterior motive for keeping him away from other girls. Genma had especially become nervous when Ranma had formed a close friendship with that boy Ukyo, though he didn't understand why. 

Of course, there was that other reason why he preferred to keep to himself. Although the Water Stone pendant he wore kept his curse in check, there was always the chance that the girls might find out about it. He was still a magnet for water and during his travels, he had been caught occasionally without his pendant. There was that one time when the necklace had broke and he had been splashed with cold water from a passing streetsweeper. There was another time that he had leaned over the banks of a stream to wash his face, when a Goldeen had grabbed his pendant, thinking it was bait. The necklace was pulled off and Ranma fell facefirst into the icy waters. 

"Look girls, I really think it's nice that you want to come with me, but..." 

It was then that the two girls gave him the one attack that he had no defense against. The Dreaded Sad Puppy Dog Eyes. 

Ranma caved in one minute and twenty seconds later. 

Sometime later... 

"Ranma Saotome, we challenge you!" 

Ranma looked out the window of the Pokémon Center and let out a resigned sigh. He resisted the urge to bang his head against the table as he got up and went out the door to meet his next opponent... or rather opponents. Sam and Jeanette followed him. Raiden couldn't go with them as Nurse Joy was treating him at the moment. Like the others, he was very exhausted from the people who had constantly challenged them and was going to spend the night in the Pokémon Center. 

As Ranma emerged from the center, he easily recognized the four boys from the seminar. They were the Eevee Brothers, Rainer, Pyro, Sparky and Mikey. In front of them were the three evolved forms of the Eevee: Jolteon, Flareon and Vaporeon. Mikey was holding onto his unevolved Eevee as he watched his brothers address Ranma. A crowd of spectators began to form around them. 

"At last!" Pyro exclaimed as he stepped forward with his Flareon. "Ranma Saotome, the Eevee Brothers challenge the one who defeated Prima to a Pokémon match!" 

The pigtailed martial artist sighed as he said, "Look guys, my Pokémon have been battling nonstop ever since the seminar. They're too tired right now. Can't this wait until later?" 

Pyro shrugged, as he said, "No problem. We were hoping to go up against YOU personally. To see how good you are against our Eevees!" 

"Excuse me?" 

"We'd like to know how you trained your Pokémon in those attacks and how you can use their abilities! We're challenging YOU against our Pokémon! If we win, can we learn your techniques?" 

"Well, I'm flattered that you want to learn, but I'm still training myself and..." 

"And besides, he's already got a couple of students." Jeanette interrupted as she stepped forward. 

"That's right!" Sam added as she too stepped forward. She didn't want to be upstaged. 

The Eevee Brothers took this news as a challenge. 

"Oh yeah? Well if you think we're just going to sit by and let you learn those attacks, then think again!" 

"What? You want to battle?" Sam asked as she took out a Pokéball. 

"You're on!" Sparky declared as he motioned for his Jolteon to step forward. 

Ranma sweatdropped as he saw the two sides prepare for battle. He was about to voice out his protests, then decided to let them work off the tension. Besides, he doubted that they would listen to a word he said anyway. He decided to keep out of it and head back into the center as the girls let loose with their Pokéballs. 

"GO SCYTHER!" 

"GO FEAROW!" 

Ranma shook his head as the sounds of battle echoed into the night and the crowds watched the two sides try to beat each other. It was just as well, since he too was exhausted from the day's events. 

The next morning... 

Ranma awoke and prepared to head out of town as he gathered up his belongings. As he met up with Nurse Joy to pick up his Pokémon, he was informed that the Eevee Brothers had left after a long battle with Jeanette and Sam, the night before. Though they were formidable trainers in their own rights, they were a little less experienced than the Viridian Gym Leader and the girl from the Crimson City Gym and Dojo. To Ranma's dismay however, he saw the two girls smiling at him as they waited for him at the entrance with their packs. 

As he was handed Raiden and his four other Pokéballs, he then noticed a strange-looking Pokémon sitting on an examination table. He took out his Pokédex. 

*PSYDUCK, A WATERFOWL POKÉMON. PSYDUCK HAS CHARACTERISTICS OF BOTH WATER AND PSYCHIC-TYPE POKÉMON AND HAS AMAZING PSYCHIC ATTACKS. HOWEVER, IT ALSO SUFFERS FROM A CONSTANT HEADACHE.*

_Pretty goofy-looking Pokémon._ Ranma thought, as he walked up to take a closer look at it. The chubby waterfowl seemed to stare off into space with its blank expression as it continued to hold its head. Raiden gazed at it from Ranma's shoulder and then tried to speak with it. 

"Pika." 

The duck neither answered nor even notice that it was being spoken to. 

"Chu!" Raiden prodded with the same lack of results. 

Ranma wondered if this Pokémon was asleep with its eyes open or in some kind of trance. He waved his hand in front of it, but it didn't even seem to notice his presence. 

"Hello! Anybody home?" He snapped his fingers and then whistled. There was still no response. _Lights are on but nobody's home._ Ranma stood for a long while then decided to leave things alone. He shrugged as he turned around and left to the front counter to check out his Pokémon. 

"Thanks for taking care of Raiden and the others for me." Ranma said as he finished signing his name to the release forms. 

"No problem." Nurse Joy replied as she entered the information into her computer. "I see that you tried to get acquainted with Psyduck." 

Ranma nodded as he said; "Yeah, but he didn't seem to notice me or anything else." 

"Well, that's to be expected. You see, a Psyduck has great mental powers, but because of its constant headache, it has very little focus over the vast psychic energies it can generate. I've heard that a Psyduck can only use its most powerful attacks when its headache is extremely severe. They also tend to be quite scatterbrained (no insult of course) and most trainers usually don't want to capture and train them." 

"Well at least this Psyduck has a trainer, right?" 

Nurse Joy shook her head sadly. "Not any more I'm afraid. Its trainer had brought it to this center after it was injured and never picked him up. Poor Psyduck was very sad when it found out that it had been abandoned. It hasn't spoken or eaten in days. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid that the shock of being tossed aside was too much for the poor thing and he may be traumatized. I've tried to get it to eat but it refuses to do anything but just sit there." 

"That's really too bad." Ranma remarked. He knew what loneliness was like. He also knew that his Sandslash Razor had probably felt the same way when that creep, Billy Bartonne, had abandoned him. "I wish that there was something I could do." 

Nurse Joy looked at Ranma, then smiled. "Maybe there is. I can tell from your Pokémon that you're a very good trainer and you care for them a lot. You can be Psyduck's new trainer!" 

"Who, me?" Ranma pointed to himself. "That's... uh, well I don't know." Ranma looked back at the empty look that the duck Pokémon was giving the opposite wall. It looked as if it didn't have a single brain cell in that round head. Now Ranma had learned to not judge solely on appearance, but the Psyduck had all the appeal of an overcooked cabbage. 

"Please, couldn't you take Psyduck with you? I'm sure that if it got the support it needed from the right trainer, it could become a great Pokémon. It needs someone like you to bring out its best qualities." 

"Well, I'm not sure. I don't have any experience with handling psychic or water-types and..." 

"Please?" 

Ranma took one look at Nurse Joy's sad and soulful expression and melted. Whenever a girl got sad or was about to shed tears, he just couldn't say no. "Well... okay, I'll give it a try." 

Ranma and Nurse Joy walked back to the examination table. 

Knowing that Pokémon could understand human speech, he addressed the empty-headed Psyduck. 

"Hey Psyduck. I hear that you don't have a trainer anymore and... well... Nurse Joy said that if you want, I'll be your trainer. How about it?" 

Ranma and Raiden waited for a long time for the duck to answer, but Psyduck remained unresponsive. Ranma wondered if the duck was deaf and repeated his question a second time, this time in a louder voice. He still received no response. 

Ranma sighed as he tried to think of a way for the Pokémon to reply. He was really perplexed at Psyduck's seemingly total obviousness. Was it even alive? He looked down and saw the steady breathing of its chest. No doubt that it wasn't dead in body, but seemed to be dead in the brain. It was then that Raiden decided to try something. 

"Pika." 

"What is it Raiden?" 

The Pikachu leapt down from his shoulder and onto the examination table. Extending a small paw to Psyduck, he began focusing his ki. The rodent's body glowed with a soft blue aura as he touched the waterfowl's skin. Nurse Joy gasped as she saw it, but Ranma waved it off. 

"Don't worry, this is normal for Raiden and me." 

Ranma and Nurse Joy continued to watch as Psyduck was bathed in a soft blue field. For a long while, nobody spoke. Then, Raiden caused his aura to dissipate and addressed Psyduck once more. 

"Pika... chu!" 

Slowly, there was a bit of movement in the psychic Pokémon's eyes at if responding to Raiden's voice. Then, amazingly, its head turned to face the Pikachu. The large bill opened up and it spoke. 

"Psy... duck?" 

Raiden smiled and said happily, "Chu! Pika! Pika!" 

Psyduck regarded the Pikachu in front of him and then asked. "Psy-yi?" 

"Pikachu!" Raiden pointed up to Ranma, which caused the waterfowl to gaze up at him. 

"Psy... duck?" 

Ranma nodded slowly at the duck as it questioned him. Raiden had used his ki to get through whatever trauma Psyduck was under to get it to acknowledge him. "If Raiden just said what I think he did, then yes. I'm offering to be your new trainer." 

"Duck?" Psyduck cocked its head to one side in confusion. 

Ranma nodded again. "Although I have to warn you, training under me is really hard and I'm giving you the choice of whether you want to go with me or not. Do you understand what I'm saying?" 

It looked as if Ranma's words were going in one ear and out the other, but his Pikachu intervened. "Pikachu, pika, pi! Pika pi! Pikachu?" 

The Psyduck looked at Raiden for a long moment, as if considering his words. He then gazed up at Ranma for another moment of silence before giving Ranma the barest of nods. 

"Psy... duck." 

Ranma took a deep breath as he nodded in acknowledgment to Psyduck's consent. He then placed his last Pokéball in front of the duck and let it enter the device. After it had closed up, Ranma picked up the ball and regarded it. 

Nurse Joy smiled as she said, "Congratulations! I don't know how you did it, but I'm sure that you'll take good care of Psyduck. It looks like you now have the six required Pokémon!" 

Ranma continued to stare at the Pokéball in his hand. _That may be so, but I wonder just what I'm getting into._

Some time later, Ranma and his new traveling companions Sam and Jeanette were walking through the forest outside of Stone Town as they headed toward the next city. Raiden was perched on his shoulder. Since Celadon City was closer and was on the way toward Saffron City, Ranma had decided to head there to win a Rainbow Badge. 

"Ranma, why are we walking? I mean, wouldn't we get there faster if we used our Pokémon?" Sam asked. "I mean, you and Jeanette have Rapidashes and I can use my Fearow. We could probably get there by this afternoon." 

Ranma shrugged as he said, "I've been pushing Wildfire pretty hard lately and it's only a day's walk from here to Celadon City. I'm not in any hurry to get all eight badges. The Pokémon League isn't due until next year anyway. Even if I have to camp out tonight, it would be good for my Pokémon and me, as part of our training. You did want to learn how we train, don't you? Or do you prefer to sleep in a hotel rather than roughing it?" Ranma gave Sam a smug look. 

Sam was a bit irritated at his slight teasing, as she replied, "No! Not at all! I don't mind! I've camped out before! It wouldn't be too bad to sleep under the stars. No problem at all!" 

Jeanette also nodded. "I understand. Don't forget I'm a martial artist too! I've also done a lot of camping during my first Pokémon journey. It's a good exercise in discipline and being able to do without some of the modern conveniences." 

Ranma looked back over the girls and had to admit that they were troopers. Although Jeanette was nowhere near his power or skill level in the fighting arts, she was physically fit and seemed very disciplined. Sam also seemed to able to weather discomfort and had a fighter's spirit. He had to admit, as girls, they weren't half-bad. 

Ranma smiled and shook his head. Genma had been extremely chauvinistic when he had ingrained into his lessons that women were weak and that he should not fight them. He had been constantly reminded day in and day out that women were weak. However, since the pigtailed martial artist had been away from his father for so long, he had begun to disregard some of those concepts as he associated more and more with the opposite sex. Sam was like a tomboy, but had a certain charm that Ranma found... interesting. Laura Laramie was a rough and tumble girl that never gave up and showed him how to have fun. Jeanette Fisher understood the martial arts and Ranma saw that she was just as dedicated to her Art as well as her responsibility to being a Pokémon trainer. 

Though Ranma didn't realize it as time went on, his transfer to the Pokémon World was actually allowing him to grow up, something that Genma had denied to his son in his all-consuming obsession to make him the best martial artist (and incidentally keep him dependent on his father). As a Pokémon trainer, Ranma was learning responsibility, not only for teaching his Pokémon, but also looking out for their welfare. In a way, his Pokémon had become a surrogate family to him. They were the friends that he always wanted, but never had, with the exception of Ucchan. 

Independence and being able to make choices for himself was also being developed. Ranma made the decisions on where he may go and what he would do. No one was telling him to do anything. He was being allowed to do what he wanted, the way he wanted it. If he chose to train his Pokémon in new attacks, not to mention train himself in a new way, then he could do so. No one, especially Genma would be there to interfere. He was allowed to experiment. 

Learning about life outside the fight was also being realized as Ranma associated with others. He begun to gain a level of tact that he would have never gotten if he had stayed with Genma. He was especially grateful to Professor Oak when he took Ranma in all those months ago. Learning how to handle Pokémon provided a stepping stone towards dealing with people. The Ranma Saotome before becoming a Pokémon trainer would have been tasting his foot in his mouth a long time ago, but life's hardships and trying to fit into this new world had beaten some common sense into that thick head of his. And besides, he didn't dare say that girls were weak, especially if they happen to have very strong Pokémon with them. He had come to respect the awesome powers that these creatures possessed and the discipline that their trainers invoked in them. 

The last thing that Ranma had begun to develop, though he was still denying it at the time, was that he had begun to REALLY notice... girls. Though he would have never admitted it openly, though he was still mostly naïve about the whole thing, he was starting to have a libido and the hormone changes that all teenagers developed were taking effect. Genma had always kept Ranma from actually feeling these emotions and pushed him into the training, but without his presence, the boy was free to... experience them. With the Water Stone keeping his curse in check, he didn't really feel that his manhood was threatened. And with two pretty girls tagging along... 

Ranma shook his head to clear it as he took out the Pokéball that contained his newest Pokémon. 

"Hey, is that the Psyduck you picked up at the Pokémon Center?" Sam said as she looked at the Pokéball. 

Ranma nodded as they came to a large clearing in the forest. Seeing that it was becoming sunset and this was a good spot to stop for the night, he decided to start making camp. 

Later that evening, Sam showed off her culinary skills as she whipped up a batch of curry and roasted some fish from a nearby stream. Though Jeanette was reluctant to admit it, she found Sam's cooking to be quite good as she and the others sat down to eat. However, wanting to show up her rival, she declared that she would cook their next meal. 

Ranma had let out all of his Pokémon for dinner. The girls did likewise. Ranma noted that Jeanette had a Rapidash, her infamous Bellsprout, a Beedrill, a Scyther, a Hitmonchan and a female Nidoran. Sam had the three Pokémon that she had used to battle against him at the Viridian Gym, her Fearow, a Poliwrath and a Mankey. 

Ranma gazed at his Pokémon as they ate their evening meals, and he eventually focused on the latest addition to his team. As Psyduck ate almost absent-mindedly, he wondered just how was going to train it. According to his Pokédex, Pysducks relied mostly on their psychic powers, and even then those abilities were somewhat unreliable. If they could only use them when their headaches were severe enough, then that limited their fighting potential. Psyducks were also quite scatterbrained and Ranma had noticed that his was easily distracted and didn't have much when it came to focus. Its physical attacks were also considered weak. Martial arts relied mostly on physical attacks and required a lot of concentration: physically, mentally and spiritually. Ranma sighed as he realized that he had his work cut out for him. 

The next morning... 

Sam and Jeanette awoke to find that Ranma and his Pokémon were not present. Thinking that he had abandoned them, they quickly began gathering up their Pokémon and things to go look for him. However, when they heard the sounds of fighting and then spotted Ranma leaping about in another clearing nearby, they both breathed out a sigh of relief. They then decided to go and watch Ranma as he went through the sparring with his Pokémon. 

Their eyes widened as they saw Ranma leap to heights of thirty feet as he traded blows with Bruiser. They seemed to hang in the air for several seconds, defying gravity as they threw fast punches and kicks at each other. Jeanette was especially amazed at the grace the martial artist displayed as he continued to bend the laws of momentum and inertia. She was also surprised to see her mother's Machop duplicating Ranma's moves. 

"Ma... chop!" 

"MOKO TAKABISHA!" 

Both girls stepped back when they saw the two combatants release their ki attacks at each other. The energies clashed and canceled each other out. It was then that they both landed on the ground and faced each other in ready stances. As if given an unseen signal, Bruiser relaxed into a neutral stance and called out to the side. 

"Machop!" 

"Pika!" 

Ranma leapt high when a blast of electricity suddenly struck the place where he was standing. Raiden picked up the pace as he began attacking his master with electric shocks. Ranma smiled as he evaded each strike, then powered up his own counterattack. 

"SHOCK ATTACK!" 

"Pika... CHU!" 

Both lightning bolts passed each other and struck their targets. Raiden was sent reeling back a bit while Ranma was knocked out the air. However, since both had experienced each other's electric attacks before, they were easily able to shrug off the effects. 

"Slash!" 

Ranma rolled out of the way to avoid Razor's Buzzsaw Barrage as the Sandslash cut up the ground. Ranma then got to his feet and his battle aura flared as he focused his energy. He slammed both palms into the ground as Razor was just uncurling himself. 

"ERUPTION BLAST!" 

The ground trembled a bit as Ranma sent a shockwave through it. Though it wasn't as strong as Razor's, it still caught the mouse Pokémon off guard. A small geyser erupted beneath Razor, sending him flying high into the air. However, this match was also an exercise in teamwork. Wind Rider swooped down to catch Razor in his claws then dived toward Ranma. 

Both Pokémon released their ki attacks and Ranma had to do several backflips to avoid the beams and x-shaped blasts. It was then that Wildfire appeared from behind. Extending his head forward, he gave Ranma gentle tap on the shoulder with his horn. 

Looking behind him and seeing his fiery steed, Ranma shook his head while smiling. His Raiden and the others had all been the distraction while Wildfire snuck up on him and tagged him. Knowing that Wildfire could have easily brought him down with a Blazing Horn Charge, Ranma conceded defeat. The point of the exercise was to teach cooperation between his Pokémon. Giving them a nod to show that they had won, Ranma relaxed and took a neutral stance. 

"Good job guys. I didn't see that one coming. Guess I'll have to work on watching my back more often." 

The other Pokémon let off a cheer of triumph as they rejoined their trainer. Sam and Jeanette were still staring in awe at the display they had just seen. Nearby, Ranma's new Psyduck was also watching and though it didn't look it was impressed, rest assured it was. 

Some time later... 

Ranma was sitting near the campsite and was trying to teach his Psyduck a few mediation techniques. He had figured that if the duck Pokémon could learn to overcome the headache it constantly suffered from, then perhaps it could be able to focus better, which was very important if was to learn martial arts and improve its physical attacks. However, with virtually no experience in training to improve its psychic abilities, Ranma knew next to nothing about how to enhance its mental capacities. He also knew that by alleviating it of its headache, he was essentially depriving it of the key to its psychic attacks. However, there was just no other way that Ranma could think of to train it. 

He decided to postpone going to Celadon City for a few days as he worked with Psyduck. The girls did not mind as they finally managed to prod Ranma into training them. This included the Dreaded Sad Puppy Dog Look that Ranma just couldn't say no to. 

Jeanette was already familiar with the martial arts, so she had no problems in grasping many of the concepts that Ranma taught them. Sam was of course a bit slower, but her rivalry with Jeanette kept her competitive and eager to learn. Ranma had them sparring against each other and his Pokémon as he continued to work with Psyduck. 

After more than a week, Psyduck was finally able to do some basic moves of the Anything Goes, especially with dodging tactics. However, its stamina and endurance didn't compare with the others and strength was only greater than Jeanette's Bellsprout. Its movements reminded Ranma of a cartoon character's and it was pretty funny to watch it perform a kick or punch. After several exhaustive sessions of mediation exercises and ki manipulation, Psyduck was no longer carrying a constant migraine and was able to focus on any task it was asked to do, provided that it didn't take too long. Ranma's patience was stretched to the limit as he tried very hard not to be angry at Psyduck's slow progress. Remembering how traumatized the waterfowl was when he first saw it, Ranma kept his temper in check as he continued to train Psyduck. The duck Pokémon became very attached to its new master who showed him kindness that its previous owner did not. It vowed to make Ranma proud. 

The week passed by, but not without headaches for both Ranma and Psyduck. Sam and Jeanette were still vying for Ranma's attention, as their sparring matches would often become brawls. Raiden's master had to frequently intervene before they got of hand. The girls were also unaware of Ranma's curse, and the pigtailed martial artist had to be very careful not to be accidentally caught with cold water without his pendant, him being a water magnet and all. Though he knew that they were going to find out, sooner or later and decided that he would have to tell them some day. Though their constant bickering was annoying, he did like their company, being isolated as he was. 

When Ranma was satisfied that Psyduck had enough control over its mental pain and had a fair amount of skills at least to defend itself, he decided to head over to Celadon City to face off against its Gym Leader, Erika. He decided not to use Psyduck as it still needed more work with its physical skills and he had yet to help it develop its psychic powers. 

As Ranma and his companions approached the Celadon Gym, Ranma asked about the Gym Leader there. 

"Her name's Erika and she specializes in Plant-type Pokémon." Jeanette replied. "She also runs a perfume business to help finance the gym. I faced off against her on my first Pokémon journey and it took all three Pokémon matches for me to beat her." 

Sam nodded as she added, "If you're able to beat her, then you'll get a Rainbow Badge. She's pretty tough though." 

"I'll keep that in mind." Ranma said as he knocked on the door of the gym. He looked up at the structure and saw that is was like a greenhouse and had various pants and flowers inside it. 

Two girls came to the door and the first one asked, "Hello, welcome to the Celadon City Pokémon Gym. Are you here to challenge Erika?" 

Ranma nodded." Yeah, I'm here to get a Rainbow Badge." 

Some time later, Ranma was facing off against Erika in the center of the gym with Sam and Jeanette looking on from the sidelines. 

Ranma regarded his opponent with an appraising eye. Erika was tall and had short, dark hair and seemed very intense-looking. She seemed to radiate a form of empathy that was almost tangible. She was wearing a floral-print dress that flattered her figure quite nicely. 

"So, are you ready to battle?" Erika asked. 

"You bet!" Ranma said as he took out a Pokéball. He decided to let Razor have the first shot and keep Raiden in reserve after Erika stated that this would be a three-on-three battle. 

"So let's get started Mr.... oh I'm sorry. I forgot to ask for your name." 

"Ranma Saotome." Ranma said nonchalantly. 

As soon as he said his name, Erika's eyes widened. "Ranma Saotome?! The same person that defeated Prima?! The one that owns the fastest Rapidash in the world?! You're THAT Ranma?!" 

Ranma winced as he remembered the publicity he had gained from his past exploits. Though he did feel a bit of pride from it, the number of fans, reporters, challengers, and would-be students that had constantly pestered him in Stone Town also overwhelmed him. He would have preferred to remain anonymous. Reluctantly, he nodded. 

Erika smiled as she said, "Well then, it is a real honor to go up against a trainer that actually beat the famous Prima! Let's see if you are deserving of such praise! Go Tangela!" 

Ranma stared at the strange mass of vines with two feet, then took out his Pokédex. 

*TANGELA, THE VINE POKÉMON. NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THESE GRASS-TYPE POKÉMON LOOKS LIKE UNDERNEATH THE VINES THAT COVERS ITS BODY. IT SPECIALIZES IN SPORE ATTACKS.*

Ranma shrugged as he prepared to toss out his Pokéball. Razor could handle something like this. 

"GO RA..." 

Before he could let it fly, there was a flash of light on his belt and Psyduck suddenly appeared before Tangela. 

"Huh? Psyduck?! I didn't call for you! You're not ready to battle yet! Come on back..." 

"Uh uh!" Erika interjected. "You can't call back your Pokémon after it's been released. Those are the rules of Pokémon engagement. Maybe you're not as good as a trainer as they say if you're Pokémon don't obey. TANGELA! STUN SPORE!" 

The Pokémon shot out a huge cloud of orange dust at Psyduck. 

Seeing that his Pokémon had absolutely no defense against such an attack, Ranma decided to forfeit the first match. "Psyduck, return!" 

However, Psyduck had other ideas. With a funny little hop, it managed to avoid the return beam, then tripped over its webbed feet to land face first on the floor with a painful splat. Its head nudged over a small, potted palm tree, which caused it to fall on top of Psyduck's head. Ouch! 

Erika was just as confused, as everyone else as the cloud of stun spores was about to envelop Psyduck. Then Psyduck began with a faint white light. When the stun spores touched it, they were immediately scattered away from and sent right back at Tangela. 

The vine Pokémon shrieked as it was subjected to its own stun spores. It then keeled over paralyzed from the reflected attack. 

"What the...?!" Erika gasped. Her Tangela was defeated?! 

Ranma shrugged his shoulders with a weak smile and a dumb look on his face. He didn't know what happened either. 

"Chu?" Raiden was also perplexed. 

Sam and Jeanette looked on with confusion as Psyduck groggily pulled itself to its feet. 

"Psy-yi-yi... duck." 

"What just happened?!" Jeanette asked. 

"I don't believe this, but... Psyduck won the first match." Sam replied with disbelief. 

"How?!" 

"My guess is, when that palm tree hit him, it must caused him to have a really bad headache. That must have been Psyduck's Confusion Attack." 

After hearing this, Erika became a little upset that Ranma's Pokémon had won by a fluke. She recalled her Tangela and then brought out another Pokéball. "Talk about dumb luck! Well, let's see if your Psyduck can handle this! GO IVYSAUR!" 

The Pokéball opened up to reveal the evolved form of a Bulbasaur. 

*IVYSAUR, THE SEED POKÉMON. BULBASAUR'S EVOLVED FORM. IT SOAKS UP ENERGY FROM THE SUN FOR NOURISHMENT. THESE POKÉMON HAVE VARIOUS ATTACKS SUCH AS THE VINE WHIP AND RAZOR LEAF.*

Ranma was familiar with such attacks from Prima's seminar and knew that Psyduck didn't stand a chance against long-range attacks. He once again tried to recall Psyduck. 

"Psyduck, return!" 

At the same time, Erika ordered her Pokémon to attack. 

"IVYSAUR! VINE WHIP!" 

Once again, Psyduck did a funny hop that seemed accidental and avoided the beam. By sheer coincidence, it clumsily avoided Ivysaur's vine whip strikes as well. 

"Psy-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi!" 

Ranma was getting irritated that his Pokémon was refusing to obey as he repeatedly tried to recall it. Psyduck was running about like a crazed chicken as it amazingly dodged the vine whips and the recall beam in a very comical way. 

"Ivysaur!" 

"Psy-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi!" 

"Psyduck, return!" 

**ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!**

**THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!**

The greenhouse echoed with the sounds of vine whips and recall beams for a full minute. Finally, Psyduck tripped over its own webbed feet again. Ranma sighed as he prepared to recall his Pokémon, when he heard a cry of disbelief. 

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Erika exclaimed. 

Ranma looked up and saw that Ivysaur was in no condition to fight. The poor grass Pokémon was tangled up in its own vine whips. The vines were in knots that would have made the best Boy Scouts green with envy. Psyduck picked itself off the ground, tilted its head and gave Ranma a look that seemed to say 'did I do good?' 

"Psy... duck?" 

"Pika..." Raiden could only stare with his master. 

Sam was currently picking her jaw off the floor. "All that running around caused Ivysaur to get tangled up in its own vines!" 

Jeanette gave Psyduck a strange look and said, "You... don't suppose Psyduck and Ranma planned that... do you?" 

They both looked at Ranma, who frantically shook his head while waving his arms. He wasn't sure how Psyduck was winning. All he had done was help him control its headache pains and taught him a few self-defense moves, mostly evasion tactics. Which in this case, defeated Ivysaur's vine whips. 

Erika was getting really annoyed that she was losing to a Psyduck, then thought of something. This could all be an act. Ranma was said to be a trainer of extraordinary capabilities and this display of clumsiness could be a plan to catch her off guard and make her underestimate him. She smiled. She had to credit Ranma for such a brilliant tactic. 

Erika recalled her Ivysaur and took out her final Pokéball. "I have to admit, you had me fooled for a while. I actually believed that you didn't know how to control that Psyduck, but I can see through your little trick!" 

"Huh?" Ranma thought. 

"This time, I'm not taking any chances! GO VILEPLUME!" 

The Pokéball opened up and the evolved form of Erika's Gloom appeared. 

"Vileplume, use your strongest attack! SOLAR BEAM!" 

Ranma blanched. He knew what the solar beam was and he definitely did not want to end up with roast Psyduck. As Vileplume began gathering sunlight, Ranma pleaded to his Pokémon. 

"Psyduck, please return!" 

"Pikachu!" Raiden called out. 

"Psy?" 

Psyduck turned around and took one step toward his master. Ranma smiled as he held out the Pokéball and activated the return beam. 

However, that was when Vileplume bent its body forward and launched the strongest attack for all grass Pokémon. Psyduck again tripped over its own webbed feet. 

The solar beam passed over Psyduck, barely missing it and singed a few of its feathers. Ranma's recall beam was canceled out and the martial artist had to duck for cover. The intense ray of sunlight blasted into a nearby storage shed that was marked FERTILIZER. 

Uh oh! 

There was a huge explosion as the chemicals in the shed went up, causing a huge fireball in the greenhouse. The roof of the gym came crashing down as the flames began to quickly spread. Sam and Jeanette ran toward the exit of the building, along with Erika and her staff. As they emerged coughing from the inferno, Sam was the first to notice that a few were missing. 

"Ranma! And Psyduck! Where are they?" Sam exclaimed. 

Erika also found out that someone else was absent. "My Vileplume isn't here either!" 

Everyone looked around then all looked back to the burning building. 

"They must still be in there!" Jeanette cried out as she began to make her way back to where they came out. Unfortunately, a huge mass of flaming debris fell down and blocked the entrance. 

"Stand back! Blastoise, I choose you!" 

The Pokéball that Sam threw opened up to reveal the giant turtle Pokémon. She then began directing the Blastoise with its water cannons to quench the flames. However, the fire continued to rage on as more of the fertilizer inside was ignited. 

Erika looked on in shock, as her gym had once again become a flaming wreck. She had a sickening feeling of déjà vu. Last year, this had occurred before during a match with Ash Ketchum when Vileplume was a Gloom. Now history was repeating itself. She cursed herself for the mess. Her pride had made her careless. She should known better than to order her Vileplume to use a Solar Beam attack with so many flammable chemicals around. Now it seems that her favorite Pokémon was going to pay the price, along with several other innocents. 

Inside the burning building, Ranma was also having a bad feeling of déjà vu. He recalled being trapped inside a burning building once before and didn't want to repeat that experience. However, he couldn't leave without his Psyduck and Erika's Vileplume, which he had lost sight of in the heavy smoke. 

"Psyduck! Vileplume! Where are you?!" 

"Pika!" Raiden called out as he crouched down as close as he can to the floor. The smoke was causing the rodent's eyes to become watery and he could his master starting to cough from the fumes. 

It was then that Raiden heard an ominous groaning sound from above and looked up. 

"Pikachu!" 

"Huh?" Ranma looked up at what his Pikachu was indicating and had less than a second to react. Another part of the roof gave way and a huge steel beam came crashing down toward him. Ranma managed to push his friend to safety before several tons of flaming, red-hot steel came down on top of him. 

"PIKA!" Raiden raced toward the pile of debris, and saw that his master had survived as a large beam had landed on top of some previous rubble, forming a kind of shelter above him. However, Ranma had been knocked out and a large bloody gash was on his left temple. His lower body was pinned beneath the beam, effectively cutting off any access to his belt of Pokéballs. 

Raiden tried to get close but the intense heat and smoke made him sluggish. The beam also weighed several tons, which was far too massive for him to lift. The fire had begun to eat its way through the support beams. It wouldn't be long before the entire structure would collapse in on itself. 

"Psyduck!" 

"Vileplume!" 

Raiden looked over his shoulder and saw Psyduck and Vileplume rush up to where Ranma was pinned. The Pikachu gestured to Psyduck to use its Psychic power to get their master out. 

"Pika! Pi! Pikachu!" 

"Psy... duck!" 

Amazingly, Psyduck seemed to lose that empty look in his eyes as he nodded in full comprehension! It began focusing its mental powers on the massive beam and strained to lift it. Unfortunately, more debris had fallen on top of the beam, adding to the weight and making it more dangerous for Ranma. 

"Pika!" 

Pysduck stopped when it saw that their master would not survive the shifting rubble. It needed complete control over all of that twisted metal and broken glass as well as far more psychic power than it could ever muster with its most severe headache. There was just no way to do the job as he was. 

Psyduck lamented over the fact that it was about to lose its new master. Ranma was the first person to ever show it kindness. No! It would not give up! Remembering back to all the meditation techniques Ranma had taught it to attain focus and relieve it of its mental pain, Psyduck reached deep into his inner strength and used its mental powers to take hold of every piece of rubble that had its trainer trapped. The waterfowl began to glow with a faint blue glow as Raiden looked on with awe as the debris began to levitate. Psyduck was actually using its psychic powers without resorting to giving itself a headache! 

"PSY... DUCK!!!!" 

Psyduck suddenly flashed with a white light and began to change shape. 

Outside of the building, Sam was forced to pull her Blastoise back when another explosion was heard. She had thought that a gas main had exploded when she looked up and saw something erupt out into the air. Her eyes widened as she saw a huge, five-ton beam flying up like a rocket, along with several huge chunks of rubble. Then, a section of wall from the opposite side was suddenly blown out as a beam of orange energy caused the wall to explode. 

*_What the...?_* Sam wondered as she and the others rounded the building. 

"That was a Hyper Beam!" Jeanette exclaimed. 

When the beam faded away, the girls caught sight of a white light that approached them from out of the depths of the inferno. They all gasped at the sight of a blue figure that was surrounded by a protective barrier. It was about three feet in height, had webbed feet, and instead of a rounded body, its form was far more streamlined. The red jewel on its forehead flashed as it had an unconscious Ranma Saotome slung over one shoulder. Beside it as it half-dragged and half-carried its master to safety, were Vileplume and Raiden. They too were protected by the Pokémon's psychic barrier. 

The girls could do nothing but stare as the new Pokémon smiled and flashed them a thumb's up. 

"GOLDUCK!" 

Later… 

*GOLDUCK, THE DUCK POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PSYDUCK. GOLDUCK IS VERY ADEPT AT USING ITS WEBBED HANDS AND FEET, MAKING IT THE FASTEST SWIMMER OF ALL WATER POKÉMON. ITS PSYCHIC POWERS ARE FAR STRONGER AND UNLIKE PSYDUCK, IT DOES NOT REQUIRE A HEADACHE TO USE THEM. IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY RARE; MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST COVETED OF POKÉMON.*

Ranma put away his Pokédex as Nurse Joy tended to his burns. Fortunately, he had no broken bones and the gash on his head had looked worse than it was. He smiled at his new Pokémon as Sam, Jeanette and Erika sat with him in the ambulance. Raiden was sitting on his shoulder as usual. Behind them, the fire department was getting the blaze under control. 

"Psyduck... I mean, Golduck... I didn't like it when you disobeyed me." 

Golduck lowered its head in shame. 

"But, you did good. No, you did great!" Ranma patted Golduck on the shoulder. "I'm very proud of you!" 

Golduck brightened when it heard this and hugged Ranma, which he returned. 

"Chu!" Raiden said happily. 

Sam whistled as she admired Ranma's new Golduck. "You are so LUCKY! You realize how hard it is to get a Psyduck to evolve into a Golduck?" 

"I'll say!" Jeanette agreed. "Most Psyducks don't ever evolve and you've only had Psyduck for just a week! That has to be a record!" 

"I must say, I am impressed." Erika added. "You are a very special trainer if you could get a Psyduck to battle like that and then evolve just like that. I am proud to award you this Rainbow Badge." 

Ranma looked down at the multi-colored badge in his hand, then said, "Thanks, but I can't take credit for this, nor accept this badge. That match we had was a fluke and Golduck here did all that on his own. It was an accident." 

Erika shrugged as she said, "Hey, it was a GOOD accident. You see, I've always maintained that a good trainer should have empathy with his or her Pokémon in order for them to be the best they could be. Psyduck tried so hard to live up to your approval, then became a Golduck to save you. If that's not empathy, then I don't know what is. You inspired it when no one else wanted it. You and Golduck deserve that badge. After all, you saved my Vileplume. Those are all the marks of a good trainer and Pokémon" 

Ranma thought for a long while then nodded while hugging Golduck closer. 

A few days later, Ranma was riding Wildfire with Jeanette riding beside him and Sam flying high above on her Fearow. Their next stop was Saffron City. 

"Well, you got what you wanted. You now have a psychic Pokémon and a very powerful one at that. It's also a water-type too." Jeanette said. "Though I still don't know how you managed to make it evolve like that." 

Ranma shrugged. "I don't have any idea either. The only thing I did with it was teach it some meditation techniques to help relieve it of its headache." 

Jeanette looked at Ranma with a questioning look. "Get relieved of its headache? Didn't you know that a Psyduck's greatest power comes from the severity of its headache?" 

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, well I figured that if it had to get into that much pain to use its strongest attack, then it wasn't worth it. I was planning to teach it some physical attacks and stuff to compensate for it, but…" Ranma paused as he thought about something. "Hey, wait a minute. Could that be it? I mean, if Psyduck was able to control its pain with my meditation techniques, and get to use its psychic powers without resorting to a headache, then that may be what caused Psyduck to become a Golduck. After all, Golduck doesn't need a headache to use its psychic powers, right?" 

Jeanette looked at Ranma thoughtfully, then slowly nodded. "I get it. Once Psyduck learned how to handle the pain, then it had the mental control it needed to use its psychic powers effectively. Well, what do you know? You actually trained Psyduck to the level it needed to evolve!" 

Ranma nodded as he patted the Pokéball that contained Golduck. "Yep. I have a feeling that Golduck will really come in handy in Saffron City." He then looked back to his Pikachu who was perched on his pack. "Ready to beat the next gym, Raiden?" 

"Pika!" 

The three then made a beeline to their next destination. 

To be continued... 

Author's notes 

Well, that was a doozy to write and I'm glad that's over! Ranma will now face off against Sabrina and her psychic Pokémon and Golduck will be a big help to attaining the Marsh Badge. 

When I decided on giving Ranma a Golduck, I often wondered why it was so different in using its psychic powers, unlike its unevolved form, Psyduck. I decided to review that episode when Misty meets up with another Water Pokémon Trainer. I noticed that girl's Psyduck had better control over its psychic powers than Misty's. Then by looking closer, I noticed that the other girl's Psyduck had to focus pretty hard compared to the wild Golduck that Misty had directed. Then I realized that the other Psyduck must have been forcing itself to have that headache, in order to summon up its psychic powers. It was sort of like our own bodies using adrenaline in times of stress or high concentration. This could also explain why Misty's Psyduck is so scatterbrained and it lacks very little focus when it isn't battling. Once a Psyduck has learned to harness its powers without resorting to that extra boost, then it evolves into a Golduck. 

Well, in any case, Ranma now has the minimum six Pokémon, but don't worry, he'll be getting more as time goes on. 


	13. Chapter 13: Mind over Mind

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: Okay, so do you want? A song and dance number? 

: Thoughts  
* *: Pokédex responses 

**

Chapter 13  
Mind over Mind

**

"Ash! Misty! Did you hear the news?" 

"What is it Tracey?" A young boy of eleven asked as he and his friends got off the ferry from the Orange Islands. On his head was a Pikachu. In his arms, he was proudly holding the Winner's Trophy that he had earned after defeating Drake, the Gym Leader at the Pomelo Gym. 

"Look at this!" Tracey said as the young Pokémon watcher held up a newspaper, depicting a photo of Ranma and Raiden as they stood beside Prima at the Pokémon Convention in Stone Town. 

Misty looked over the shoulder of Ash and saw the headline. Her eyes widened as she read the headline. "W-What?! Prima was... defeated?!" 

Tracey nodded. "According to this article, Prima had given this new trainer, Ranma Saotome, a Diamond Staryu Badge after she lost three consecutive matches. That's the first one to be given in over ten years!" 

"A Diamond Staryu Badge? She lost three matches in a row?!" Ash said in disbelief. When he had challenged Prima, she had made short work of him and his Pikachu. 

"Ooh, that's one of the most sought-after badges in the world. All Water Pokémon trainers want one! I'd give almost anything to have one of those!" Misty pined. 

"Who is this Ranma Saotome?" Ash asked. 

"Not much is known about this trainer." Tracey read. "He just suddenly appeared a few months ago and according to this report, has already gotten five Indigo badges and is reported to be heading toward Saffron City for a Marsh Badge." 

"He's going to have his hands full with Sabrina." Ash commented, remembering how difficult it was for him to beat the psychic Gym leader. 

"I don't know Ash." Misty said skeptically. "If he was able to defeat Prima, then Sabrina might not be able to stop him as she did with you." 

Ash winced as he recalled how humiliating his initial defeat against Sabrina was. Brock and Misty had gotten turned into dolls and it was only due to Haunter that he had been able to win against Sabrina's Kadabra. 

"Here's another thing Ash. It says here that this Ranma can actually copy a Pokémon's attacks and that his Pokémon have been trained in new, more powerful attacks." 

"Say what?!" 

"Look here." Tracey pointed to a picture in which Ranma was doing an electric attack. 

"He's doing... a Thundershock?" Ash could not believe what he was seeing. Neither were Tracey and Misty. 

"Wow! He must be some special kind of Pokémon trainer if he's able to do all of that." 

Ash was deep in thought as he continued to gaze at the picture. _Wow... a trainer that can copy a Pokémon's attacks. Hmmmm, I wonder if I'll ever meet this Ranma._

Somewhere else... 

"ACHOO!" 

Ranma rubbed his nose after sneezing and wondered if he was coming down with something. He then shrugged and turned back to observing his Pokémon as they sparred with each other. 

"Golduck!" 

"Pikachu!" 

Ranma nodded as he watched his newest Pokémon train with his best disciple in the Anything Goes Pokémon Martial Arts techniques. He had decided to call the new branch of the Anything Goes as Pokémon Ken. He smiled as he saw the blue waterfowl take to the physical training with relative ease. He was a bit worried though about his upcoming match against the gym leader of Saffron City, who was reputed to be an unparalleled expert when it came to psychic Pokémon. Though his new Golduck was also a psychic type, the Pokémon trainer and martial artist was still relatively inexperienced in dealing with psychic attacks and how to defend against them. 

Golduck may be able to handle its own mental attacks such as Confusion and Disable, but it was still learning to control its newfound powers and they were nowhere near as strong as they should be. Ranma didn't know how to train a psychic-type Pokémon. 

_What can I do against Metronome, Psychic Beams or Hypnosis? The Aura Defense field that I made with Machop's Meditation technique was good, but it uses up a lot of power and he was just barely able to counter Prima's Slowbro. Hmmm…_

Ranma decided to look up the entry on Golduck on his Pokédex. 

*GOLDUCK IS MAINLY A WATER AND PSYCHIC-TYPE POKÉMON, BUT ALSO POSSESSES ICE ATTACKS AND CAN ENGAGE IN CONSIDERABLE HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT.*

_Hmmm, that's nice to know, but that still doesn't give me any idea of how to go up against Sabrina._

Ranma put away his Pokédex as he saw Jeanette and Sam approach him. 

"Hey Ranma, how's the training going?" Sam asked. 

The martial artist shrugged as he replied, "It's going well enough. Golduck is handling the physical training all right, but I still haven't gotten around to helping it with its psychic powers. I really don't have any idea how to improve on its psychic attacks. Come to think of it, I haven't even thought of what to name Golduck." 

"Why don't you just call it Golduck. Every other trainer that has a Golduck does." Jeanette suggested. 

"Nah. Calling it Golduck is so… generic. I want my Golduck to have a name to give it more personality. That's what I've done for all my other Pokémon. Got any ideas?" 

Both girls shrugged as they began thinking of what to call Golduck. 

"Hey, how about Tsunami?" Jeanette suggested. 

"Tidal wave?" Ranma replied. "No… sounds more like a name for an attack. Besides, it sounds too feminine. Golduck's a male." 

"Well, how about Kappa?" 

"Water Demon? Nah, Golduck may be powerful, but he's no demon." 

"Maybe Poseidon or Aquarius?" Sam tried. 

"Who are they?" Ranma asked. 

"Poseidon was a Greek God of the sea and Aquarius was the Water Bearer of the Zodiac. We could also try Neptune or Triton?" 

"Nah… that doesn't sound right either. History ain't my strong point and besides, I don't wanna keep on naming my Pokémon after gods and stuff. That gets too repetitive. Raiden's good enough for me." 

"Well, since Golduck's also a psychic-type, how about Mindstorm or maybe Kinesis?" Sam recommended. 

"Hmmm, maybe but… I don't know." Ranma waved it off. "Anyways, the name isn't that important right now, so it can wait." Ranma said as he turned back to where his Golduck and Raiden were taking a breather before going at each other again. 

Some time later… 

"Okay, now breathe in and out, slow and steady." Ranma instructed as he and his Golduck took stances and began their meditation exercises. The waterfowl was especially proficient in this discipline as these techniques had allowed it to evolve from a Psyduck. No longer requiring a headache to activate its psychic abilities, Golduck was determined to enhance its mental abilities even further. He had been practicing hard during their trip to Saffron City and was confident that it could handle anything that Sabrina's Pokémon could throw at it. 

Beside them, Sam and Jeanette were also taking deep breaths and clearing their minds. Then, in unison, they began going a series of simple katas to attain a higher level of focus. Ranma and Golduck were already lit with bright blue auras. Jeanette had a pale white aura that was much smaller, while Sam's was the faintest and smallest of all: a very thin, gold halo of light. 

Off to one side, the rest of Ranma's Pokémon stood by with Sam's and Jeanette's. 

After an hour, Ranma called a halt to the training and the group decided to break for dinner. As they started eating, Sam and Jeanette began discussing with Ranma on their own progress. 

"So are we ready to start projecting ki?" Jeanette asked hopefully. 

Ranma shook his head and said, "No, you two still got a long way to go. I'm not surprised that your aura is stronger than Sam's since you've had some martial arts training from your mother already." Jeanette gave her rival a bit of a smug smile, since she was way ahead of her. Sam scowled a bit. They had been practicing for weeks with the pigtailed boy and now he had just complimented Jeanette on her greater skill. This only made the former gym leader of Viridian City even more determined to beat her rival for Ranma's attentions. 

Though neither would admit it openly, both girls had grown very fond of Ranma's company ever since they started traveling together. 

"By the way, Ranma. How come my aura's different than yours and Jeanette's?" Sam asked, hoping to change the subject. 

Ranma shrugged as he said, "Well, ki can use your own emotions as a medium. The different colors and size of your auras can represent which emotion you are using to projecting it, and how intense it is. My blue aura represents my confidence. The same thing goes with all my Pokémon." 

"So what about ours?" Jeanette inquired. 

"Well, I can only guess, but I'd say that the white color is calmness, which kind of fits with your passive fighting style of Akido. Sam's gold color may be because of her determination. Mind you, I'm only guessing but I think those must be the emotions that you are drawing from." 

Both girls thought about it for a while, then nodded. It was then that they began asking Ranma some more personal questions. 

"Ranma, we've been traveling together for a while and we still don't know much about you." Sam said. 

Ranma became a bit edgy at those words and Jeanette added to his nervousness by saying, "Yes, tell us about yourself. Where are you from?" 

"Uhhhh… well, it's kinda hard to explain and… I'm not really sure where to begin." He looked toward his Pokémon for support, but they could only give him a sort of helpless look, as they too did not know how to tell them. 

"Oh come on Ranma!" Sam said cheerfully. "You can tell us at least where you're from and how you became a Pokémon trainer right? It's not like we're asking you to tell us your deepest secrets, right?" 

"That's just the problem." Ranma replied reluctantly. "In order for me to tell you as to where I came from, I'd have to tell you my deepest secret." 

"Huh?" Both girls said. 

Ranma sighed. "All I can say is that I got my official start as a Pokémon trainer in a place called Pallet Town." 

"Pallet Town?" Jeanette repeated. "I've heard of that place. That's where Ash Ketchum came from." 

"Who?" 

"He was a trainer that I went up against in last year's Indigo League championships. He beat my Bellsprout with a Muk, of all things." 

Ranma thought about the name, then nodded. "Oh yeah, now I remember. Professor Oak told me about him when I used to work at the Pokémon research center in Pallet Town." Ranma then got up and stretched out his arms while yawning. "Well, enough about me. My Pokémon and me better get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day and I need Raiden and the others to be well rested for the match." 

"So which Pokémon are you going to use?" Sam asked. 

"Well, the obvious choice would be Golduck, since he's the only psychic-type I've got. Though he's gotten a lot stronger mentally and physically, I really don't know what Sabrina will do and how she battles. I guess I'll find out tomorrow." 

The next day… 

Ranma and his group approached the Saffron City Gym and stopped at the front door. Ranma took a deep breath and knocked. 

"Hello? I'm here to challenge the gym leader." 

A moment passed in silence before the doors automatically opened up, allowing for Ranma, Sam and Jeanette to enter. Raiden was currently riding on Ranma's right shoulder. As they walked down the hallway to the main battle arena, the two girls began giving Ranma some last-minute details about his opponent. 

"You've got to be really careful against Sabrina, Ranma. She and her family happen to be very powerful psychics and I found out the hard way that she's telepathically linked to her Pokémon." Jeanette cautioned. 

"Really?" 

"That's right." Sam affirmed. "She doesn't have to say anything to direct her Pokémon. She does it all mentally." 

"How did you get the Marsh Badge?" Ranma asked Jeanette. 

The trainer from Crimson City sighed as she said with reluctance, "It took me six tries to get it and I was lucky. Sabrina had been suffering from a headache during the sixth attempt and that weakened her psychic link with her Pokémon enough for me to overpower her. I have a feeling that she's not suffering from any headaches today." 

"Indeed." 

The three were startled at the sound of Sabrina's voice as they came to the main arena. On the opposite end of the fighting area was the psychic gym leader herself. She was very slim and had long, straight, dark hair. She was wearing a kind of formal suit that resembled a ringmaster's outfit. Ranma noted that something was floating beside her. It looked like a gaseous face with two disembodied hands at its side. He took out his Pokédex. 

*HAUNTER, THE GASEOUS POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF GHASTLY. THIS GHOST-TYPE POKÉMON IS KNOWN FOR ITS MISCHIEVIOUS YET PLAYFUL PERSONALITY. ITS ATTACKS INCLUDE NIGHTSHADE, CONFUSE RAY, HYPNOSIS AND DREAM EATER.*

"Welcome to the Saffron Gym, Ranma Saotome." Sabrina greeted with a smile. 

Ranma was taken aback by her greeting and became bit unnerved. "H-How did you…?" 

Sabrina shrugged and said, "I don't need to be a psychic to have predicted that you would have eventually come here. Besides, I saw you on television when your Rapidash won the Pokémon Challenge Race and when you defeated Prima in Stone Town. I've been looking forward to battle against you." 

Ranma winced as he realized that the publicity he had gained might work against him. Unlike the other gym leaders, Sabrina was expecting him and probably prepared for him. 

"So, shall we get started?" 

Ranma nodded reluctantly and motioned for Sam and Jeanette to stand back. This was it. 

Sabrina nodded back and said, "This will be a two-on-two match. Haunter, I choose you!" 

"Haunter!" The Ghost Pokémon floated forward to face off against whatever Pokémon Ranma would use. 

The pigtailed boy took a deep breath and decided to start off with his Pikachu. 

"Raiden, go!" 

The electric rodent sped forward and took a ready stance. Unfortunately, Sabrina was already giving her Ghost Pokémon her orders by telepathy. 

_**HAUNTER! PSYBEAM!**_

"Haunter!" The eyes of the Haunter began to glow and it shot out a beam of energy. 

"Raiden, fight back with Meditation!" 

The electric rodent began to concentrate its ki into a protective screen around it to offset the psychic waves. Sabrina nodded as she watched the Pikachu generate a blue aura around it. 

_Hmmmm… interesting! A barrier to deflect psychic waves. But… I can see fatal flaw in it. That Pikachu can't use its electrical attacks when it's like that, so it can't strike at a distance. Haunter! NightShade Attack!_

"Haunter!" A bolt of black energy burst from Haunter's hands and blasted into Raiden. Fortunately for the electric rodent, its aura took the brunt of the attack. The Pikachu was sent flying backward, but managed to land on its feet. Its aura however, was dispersed and Haunter saw its chance and emitted a hypnosis attack. Raiden was caught off guard as he saw Haunter and started to fall down toward the floor. 

Ranma became desperate as he saw his friend begin to falter. Raiden couldn't get close enough to do any physical attacks on Haunter, not that it would work against a Ghost-type. Then Ranma got inspired and yelled to his Pikachu. "Raiden, put your headband over your eyes!" 

"Pika!" Reaching up with his paws, Raiden pulled down its headband over his eyes, effectively blinding himself and preventing him from seeing Haunter's blurred form, which canceled out the hypnosis effect. 

Sabrina smirked as she commented. "That was cute. That headband may stop the Hypnosis attack, but your Pikachu can't fight while it's blindfolded." 

Ranma grinned as he said, "Raiden doesn't need to see to beat Haunter! Raiden… use your new finishing move… THUNDERBLAST STORM!" 

"Thunderblast Storm?!" Sam and Jeanette eeped. During their travels with Ranma, they had seen him train his Pokémon in newer techniques. They had witnessed Raiden do this new attack last week! 

"TAKE COVER!" Both girls yelled as they backed off quickly. 

Raiden suddenly crackled with electricity and ki as he focused his inner energies. He then let loose with a massive explosion of lightning and ki bolts in every direction. 

"PIKA… CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!" 

"Haunter!" The Ghost Pokémon tried to zig and zag out of the way of the massive barrage but since the attack hit everywhere at once, it wasn't any use. Physical attacks it could evade by making itself immaterial. Energy attacks were another story. It screamed out as several bolts of electricity and ki slammed into it, causing it to drop to the ground, unconscious. 

Sabrina looked up from where she had taken cover and gasped. Haunter was down and entire floor of her gym was scorched. In the center of the arena, Raiden was still standing, unscathed and raising his headband. On the other side, Ranma was also standing without so much as a scratch on him. He had used his own aura to deflect any incoming energy. Behind him, Sam and Jeannette were just emerging from where they had taken cover. 

Ranma smiled as said, "Raiden doesn't need to see when he has an attack that hits everywhere at once!" 

Sabrina looked down at the Pikachu, then recalled Haunter. "Haunter, return." When the Pokéball recalled her Ghost Pokémon, she said to it, "You did a good job, Haunter." She then turned back to Ranma. "That was very impressive. I can see why you defeated Prima. I wasn't expecting something like that, but now it's time to get serious!" Taking out another Pokéball, she called out her ace-in-the-hole. "Alakazam! I choose you!" 

Ranma frowned as the psychic Pokémon appeared. He took out his Pokédex. 

*ALAKAZAM, THE EVOLVED FROM OF KADABRA. ITS POSSESSES BOTH A POWERFUL BODY AND PSYCHIC POWERS. ITS MIND IS EQUIVALENT TO A SUPER-COMPUTER.*

Ranma was about to give Raiden his next command when Sabrina mentally ordered her Pokémon to take Raiden apart. 

_**ALAKAZAM! DISABLE!**_

Before Ranma could utter a single word, Alakazam focused the two spoons it held in its hands and directed a wave of psychic power at it. Raiden was paralyzed in a second. 

_**ALAKAZAM! CONFUSION!**_

Raiden was sent bouncing up and down like a basketball. Sabrina had learned from her earlier mistake and didn't let the Pikachu a moment to recover or counterattack. 

_**PSYBEAM!**_

Ranma cried out as his Pikachu was struck hard by the blast and sent flying. He ran out and caught his best friend in his arms as he came back down. 

"Raiden, are you okay? Speak to me buddy!" 

The electric mouse slowly opened up its eyes and gave Ranma an affectionate lick on his cheek. 

"Pika…" 

Ranma sighed in relief as he saw that Raiden was all right, but was in no shape to battle any more. He nodded to Sam who walked up and took Raiden into her arms as Ranma faced off against Sabrina again. 

"That was kinda extreme." 

"No more extreme than that last attack of your Pikachu's." Sabrina countered. 

Ranma thought for a moment, then nodded. "Point taken." He then took out a Pokéball and readied to throw it. _Well, here's the moment of truth._ "GO… GOLDUCK!" 

The blue waterfowl exploded from his Pokéball and took a dramatic pose. 

"Golduck!" 

Sabrina smiled as she gazed at the psychic water Pokémon. "Very nice. You have a very fine- looking psychic Pokémon. Now let's see how well he's trained." _**ALAKAZAM, DISABLE!**_

By sheer coincidence, Ranma shouted out the same command. "GOLDUCK, DISABLE!" 

Alakazam thrust out its two spoons and focused its mental powers. At the same time, Golduck's eyes glowed bright blue as it too emitted paralyzing waves. There was a sudden flare of energy that appeared between the two Pokémon as the two attacks hit each other head-on. Then a massive blast of light appeared and caused both trainers to look away. Ranma heard Sabrina cry out a bit at the brightness, then recovered to give her Pokémon another command. 

_**ALAKAZAM! PSYBEAM!**_

Golduck was still a bit distracted from the sudden flare of light and was struck hard by the blast. The waterfowl went sprawling, but quickly recovered and rolled to its feet again. Unfortunately, Alakazam began giving off psychic blasts in rapid succession, scoring several hits. Ranma winced as he saw Golduck get repeatedly. Sabrina had the advantage with her mind-link and Golduck just wasn't reacting fast enough. Ranma hoped that a ki blast would catch Alakazam and Sabrina off guard. 

"GOLDUCK! KI ATTACK!" 

Like all of his Pokémon, Ranma's Golduck had no problems in learning to project ki. It was even easier for Golduck due to its psychic abilities. Cupping its webbed hands forward, the water Pokémon shot a blue sphere of energy at his opponent. 

_**REFLECT!**_

Alakazam put up a psychic barrier to deflect the blast. The Pokémon shuddered a bit when the barrier trembled under the force of the ki bolt hitting it. It then followed through with another Psybeam. Golduck leapt high to evade it, then came down to deliver a jumpkick to Alakazam's head. It was then that Ranma realized that Golduck was leaping into a trap as he saw Alakazam's eyes glow. 

"GOLDUCK! LOOK OUT!" 

It was too late. As Golduck was in the air, he was wide open for a Disable attack. He was stopped in midair, and that was when Alakazam began powering up its final attack. An orange ball of energy began to form in front of the psychic Pokémon. 

"COUNTER ALAKAZAM'S HYPER-BEAM WITH YOURS!" Ranma called out. 

Golduck desperately tried to power up his own Hyper-beam to counter but it was too late. Just as the center jewel on its head began to glow, Alakazam let loose with a huge, orange beam. 

"GOLDUCK!!!" 

Some time later... 

"Your Golduck wasn't hurt too seriously, but it will need to rest for a while. He's very weak from that Hyper-Beam." Nurse Joy said to Ranma after she had emerged from the ICU of the Saffron City Pokémon Center. 

"Can I see him?" Ranma asked, to which the Pokémon nurse nodded and led him, Sam and Jeanette to where Golduck was bedridden. Beside him, wearing a few bandages of his own was Raiden. 

Ranma frowned as he saw his newest Pokémon with a bandage wrapped around his head and a patch of gauze taped on the right cheek. Both of his arms were also bandaged. 

After nodding to his Pikachu, Ranma knelt down at one side of Golduck's bed, took one of his webbed hands into his and said, "Golduck... I'm so sorry. This was all my fault." 

Golduck looked at his trainer then slowly shook his head. "Gol...duck. Gol..." 

Ranma shook his head in response. "No, it was my fault. I didn't know how to make your psychic powers stronger and I put you into battle when you weren't ready! We should have trained more and I should have realized that Sabrina would have been prepared for us, especially with all that publicity I got in Stone Town. Please forgive me." 

"Golduck... golduck..." The waterfowl placed a webbed hand on his trainer's head and tousled his hair. "Golduck... duck... golduck." 

Raiden nodded, as he understood what Golduck was saying. "Pikachu. Pika." 

Ranma sighed as he looked back at Jeanette and Sam. "I really wish I knew what they were saying." 

"I think Golduck is saying that he doesn't blame you for what happened. Right?" Sam looked at the bedridden Pokémon, who nodded in response. 

Jeanette also spoke up. "Golduck understands that you tried your best to prepare for the match." 

"Yeah, well it didn't do us any good, now did it? We still lost! Sabrina's got too much of an advantage with that mind-link of hers and I just can't think of a way to counter it and..." Ranma paused for a moment as he thought back to the match. He then realized something. "Wait a minute. Maybe... there is a way to counter her!" 

"What are you talking about?" Jeanette asked. 

Ranma addressed his Golduck. "Golduck. As soon as you're well enough to leave here, we're going to do some special training." 

"Golduck?" 

"I think I may have thought up of a way to beat Sabrina and get that Marsh Badge! What do you say? Are you up for it?" 

"Golduck!" Golduck affirmed. 

"What are you talking about?" Jeanette asked. 

Ranma only answered her with a smile. 

Two weeks later... 

"I'm here for a rematch!" Ranma called out as he and Golduck came to the front doors of the gym. On his shoulder was Raiden. Behind him, Sam and Jeanette whispered to each other. 

"Do you think this plan of his will work?" Sam asked. 

"Maybe." Jeanette replied. "He and Golduck have trained so hard for the last few days and I can't believe just how much they've improved! Ranma may just win that Marsh Badge!" 

"We'll see." 

The doors of the gym again opened to admit Ranma and his group. As they entered, several shady characters were watching from the shadows of a nearby alley. They smiled as they recognized their target and began moving toward the gym. 

Inside of the gym, Sabrina smiled as she again faced off against Ranma. 

"I knew you would be back. You didn't strike me as the type to give up so easily." 

Ranma smirked as he replied, "You bet! So let's get started!" 

"Very well. This time, it will just be one Pokémon for each of us. Choose yours now." 

Ranma nodded as he said to his Golduck, "I choose you..." And that was when he got an inspiration. "SEA STORM!" 

"Golduck!" The water Pokémon smiled at its new name and leapt forward to take a pose. 

Sabrina chuckled as she threw out her Pokéball. Alakazam appeared. 

"SEA STORM, PSYCHIC BLAST!" 

The Golduck raised a webbed hand and let loose with a psychic attack. 

_**ALAKAZAM, REFLECT!**_

Sabrina's Pokémon brought up its shield but was surprised at the intensity of the blast. Alakazam was actually forced back! Sabrina was also impressed with sudden increase in power, but decided to bide her time and see what Ranma had taught his Golduck in the past two weeks. 

"SEA STORM! TORPEDO ATTACK!" 

Sea Storm suddenly shot forward like a missile, using its psychic powers to shoot itself through the air. Its streamlined body became enveloped in ki energy, which exploded on contact with Alakazam's barrier, shattering it. Alakazam was slammed backward and that is when Golduck started raining swipes, punches and kicks, displaying its ability in the martial arts. 

Sabrina winced as she began feeling the pain that her Pokémon was experiencing. On the other side, Ranma smirked. He had guessed right. Sabrina's mind-link was a two-way system. Not only could she mentally communicate with her Pokémon, but she also felt the feedback of whatever her Pokémon was experiencing. Apparently, the link wasn't 100%, or she would be bruised and battered from Golduck's attacks. He had suspected on how the system worked when he recalled from the last battle, how much more affected Sabrina had been, during that bright flash of psychic energy. All he had to do was to have his Golduck maintain the assault and keep her too off-balanced to give her Alakazam any orders. 

Sabrina winced again as she felt more pain from her Alakazam. She knew from the increasing intensity that her Pokémon couldn't take much more of this pounding and chided herself for nor not ending the match sooner. She then bit down, ignored the pain and ordered Alakazam to disable Golduck. 

_**DISABLE!**_

Alakazam managed to focus its energies and Golduck found himself once more paralyzed and floating in midair. 

_**HYPER-BEAM! **_

Ranma scowled as he saw Alakazam powering up and shouted, "NOT THIS TIME! SEA STORM, PSYCHIC FLASH!" 

Sea Storm's eyes took on a bright blue color, then suddenly flared like magnesium powder. Alakazam cried out as it took the glare at full strength. 

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Sabrina screamed out as she too found herself blinded. She raised her hands to rub at her eyes. Consequently, she was forced to disengage her psychic link with Alakazam. The psychic Pokémon shook its head to clear it, then took on a puzzled look as it found itself disconnected from its trainer. 

Ranma smiled. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Now that Alakazam was mentally separated from its master, it was time! 

"NOW SEA STORM! FINAL ATTACK! PSYCHIC TSUNAMI!" 

The Golduck nodded as he began focusing his mental and ki energies around him. The battle aura that was formed was huge as it continued to build around him. Soon the entire gym was bathed in a bright, blue luminance. Then the outer edges of the aura began to become alive, as if it were made of water. Sabrina regained her sight just to see Golduck throw its arms forward and the entire battle aura went crashing down toward Alakazam like a huge tidal wave. 

"GOL... DUCK!" 

"ALAKAZAM! REFLECT!" 

Alakazam just barely managed to put up another barrier, but it wasn't enough. The shield shattered under the tremendous force that Golduck's attack produced and Alakazam was swept away like a leaf caught in a fast-moving river. The Pokémon and all that energy slammed into one of the walls of the gym, causing it to be blown out. When the energy dispersed outward into the open air and the dust settled down, Alakazam was going to need a trip to the Pokémon Center. 

"Ala... ka... zam." 

All was silent in the Saffron Gym for a long moment, then a shout rang out. 

"WE DID IT, SEA STORM!" 

"Golduck!" 

On the sidelines, Sam and Jeanette were cheering with his Pikachu. Ranma had done it! He had beaten Sabrina! 

Sabrina could only look in shock at her defeated Alakazam, and then she nodded. Ranma had beaten her fairly and earned the Marsh Badge. Taking out her Pokéball, she recalled her Pokémon and said to it. "You fought well Alakazam." She turned and walked to her opponent, who was hugging his Golduck, and addressed him. "Congratulations Ranma Saotome. I didn't expect something like that, but then again you're known for surprises." 

Ranma separated himself from his Golduck and nodded. "Thanks Sabrina. That was a good match. So now I think you have something for me?" 

Sabrina nodded as she handed Ranma the Marsh Badge. "In recognition of your victory at the Saffron Gym." 

Ranma smiled, then showed the badge to Sea Storm. "Good work Sea Storm! Nothing can stop us now!" 

It was at that time that someone threw a smoke bomb into the gym and some ominous music began to play. 

"Oh no! Not again!" Ranma groaned. 

Raiden breathed out a mushroom puff. "Pika…" 

Sam, Jeanette and Sabrina were confused. 

"To subject the world to devastation! 

"To… " 

"SHUT UP! WIND RIDER! DOUBLE TEAM GUST ATTACK!" 

The Pigeotto exploded from its Pokéball and joined its master in blowing away all the smoke. When the gases were cleared, at the hole where Sea Storm's attack had blasted through were four very goofy-looking characters. Each had a white and black outfit with a large R printed on their chests. 

"Hey! We weren't finished!" The first one said. 

"As far as I'm concerned, you are!" Ranma shot back. "So which Team Rocket are you?! Jesse and James? Bonnie and Clyde? Billy and Kid? Larry, Curly and Moe? Tom, Dick and Larry?" 

"No, we're…" 

All four take a sentai pose. 

"HARPO!" 

"CHEEKO!" 

"ZEPPO!" 

"AND GROUCHO!" 

All together they said, "Team Rocket! Blast off at…" 

"BLAST THIS! RAIDEN! THUNDERBLAST BOMB!" 

Raiden moved forward and let one of his most powerful attacks fly. Sam, Jeanette and Sabrina dove for cover. 

"PIKA…CHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!" 

KA-BOOOOOOOM!!! 

At the damaged wall, four members of Team Rocket were now extra crispy and sprawled on the ground, unconscious. One of their Pokéballs rolled out from under them and came to a stop at Ranma's feet. 

_Hmmmpf! I wonder what kind of Pokémon they were going to sick on me THIS time?_

In answer to his question, the Pokéball opened up and… 

"AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" 

The girls were all surprised to hear Ranma scream in terror. Looking over to where Ranma was now on the ground, shivering in terror at what had just came out of the Pokéball. 

"Purrrr…" 

"It's a Persian." Sam declared. 

"Ranma's afraid of Persians?" Jeanette asked in confusion. 

It was at that time that the Persian's training took over. Seeing that Ranma was not one of its masters and therefore an enemy, it began to chase after him. This caused Ranma to scramble away even more frantically. 

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!" 

Sam, Jeanette, and Sabrina had huge sweatdrops as they watched the scene. Here was the most formidable Pokémon trainer in the world, running about like a chicken with its head cut off, screaming in absolute terror, while being chased by a Persian. Raiden could only shake his head and sigh. Sea Storm, who did not know about his master's fear of cats, could only watch in confusion. 

When the Persian leapt up and tackled Ranma to the ground, pinning him down by standing of his back, the Pokémon trainer's fragile hold on sanity snapped. 

"MEEOOOOOOOWWWWWRRRRRR!" 

"Huh? Is that Ranma?" Jeanette asked in confusion. 

The Persian was also confused to hear its prey suddenly meow. It was then suddenly thrown off as Ranma bolted upward and crouched down on all fours. The cat Pokémon glared at its opponent as the two faced off. 

"What's he doing?" Sam wondered. 

The Persian decided to use its Fury Swipes attack against this crazy human, but was more than shocked to see its claws knocked aside by Ranma, who moved with unbelievable speed. He then proceeded to maul the Pokémon with a ferocity that was beyond imagination. 

"He can copy a Persian's attacks?" Sabrina said in disbelief. 

In less than a minute, the Cat Pokémon went running off for its life after receiving more than a thousand scratches. Ranma hissed at his retreating foe, then looked around. He then spotted the girls and started toward them. The three backed away nervously as the cat-boy approached them. Raiden sighed as he powered up his electric sacs. 

"Pikachu." ^^ Forgive me, Master. ^^ 

ZZZZAAAAAPPPPP!!! 

Neko-Ranma was thrown backward as he received Raiden's Thundershock therapy and was knocked out. Raiden ran over to his fallen master and placed his ear onto his master's chest. He nodded with relief and gestured to Sea Spray. 

"Pikachu. Pika, pi." ^^Sea Storm. Could you come here? ^^ 

"Golduck. Golduck. Duck." ^^What's the matter? What's wrong with our master? ^^ 

"Pika, pi, pika… chu. ^^Master Ranma has a fear of cats. ^^ 

"Golduck?" ^^Really? ^^ 

Raiden nodded. "Pika, pi. Pikachu. Pika, pika, pika, chu, chu." ^^Ranma told me that his father did a very bad thing to him when he was six. ^^ "Chu, pika, pika, pikachu." ^^Now Ranma goes crazy every time he sees cats. ^^ 

"Golduck! Duck!" ^^That's terrible! ^^ "Duck? Golduck, duck!" ^^Is there any way we can help him? ^^ 

Pikachu. Pikachu. Pika, pika… chu." ^^Usually he goes back to normal after I shock him, but he'll go crazy again whenever he sees a cat. ^^ 

Sea Storm thought for a moment then got an idea. He turned to Sabrina and began focusing his mental powers on her. 

"Golduck." 

Sabrina looked at Ranma's Pokémon curiously as she began to get mental urges from the Golduck. She then approached the unconscious Ranma and looked down at Raiden. The electric rodent nodded to her. The telepathic gym leader knelt down and placed a hand on Ranma's forehead. Her eyes glowed with an eerie light as she began to read his mind. A few minutes later, she let off a cry of horror. 

"MY GOD!" Sabrina gasped as she looked into the memories concerning Ranma's traumatic experience when he was six. "HOW COULD HE DO THAT TO HIM!? THAT… THAT…" Sabrina couldn't even think of the words to describe Genma Saotome and swore that if she ever met him, she'd give him such a psychic beating that a lobotomy would seem mild in comparison. She then began to emit soothing psychic waves into Ranma's damaged mind and soon the expression on his face was more blissful. 

After a few minutes, she finished with her ministrations and stood up. Ranma began to awaken as she walked back to Sam and Jeanette. 

"What was that all about?" Jeanette asked. 

Sabrina took a deep breath, then replied, "I just corrected a mistake that was inflicted on him by his father when he was young. Ranma will never have to be afraid of cats again." 

"Huh?" Sam and Jeanette said together. 

Some time later… 

Ranma waved goodbye to Sabrina as he and his companions walked toward the city limits. As they headed toward their next destination, the girls continued to pester Ranma for some answers. 

"Come on Ranma! What was that all about?" Sam pleaded. 

"Why were you acting like a cat? And what did Sabrina mean when she said that she corrected the mistake that your father made?" Jeanette inquired. 

Ranma took a deep breath as he remembered back to his last private conversation with the Saffron City gym leader after he had awakened. Sabrina had to backtrack through all of his memories concerning his entire life, before discovering the part about the Neko Ken. As a result, she knew ALL of his deepest secrets, including Jusenkyo. Thankfully, she had promised not to tell any one about it. As for his fear of cats, Sabrina had used her mental abilities to block out the trigger, which caused him to revert into the Cat Fist. Ranma was now free of his phobia, in which he was very grateful. 

"C'mon Ranma! Won't tell us anything?" Sam said exasperatedly. 

Ranma sighed again as he decided that it was time that Sam and Jeanette knew a few things about him, if they were to continue to travel with him. He wasn't going to tell them everything though, at least not now. "Well… it all started when I was six, and my father got a hold of some training manual…" 

To be continued… 

Author's notes 

Well, Chapter 13 is done and Ranma is now on his way to get the Soul Badge from the Fuscha Gym! As for Ash Ketchum and the gang, they'll soon meet up with our cursed Pokémon trainer soon enough. 


	14. Chapter 14: The Soul Badge

Fist of the Pikachu! - Chapter 14

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: If you can't beat 'em, deny everything.

>: Thoughts   
^^ ^^: Pokémon language translation   
* *: Pokédex Responses

**Chapter 14**

**The Soul Badge**

"Hello Ranma. It's been some time since you last called." Professor Oak said as he spoke into the vidphone.

"Hey Professor Oak. How are you dong?" Ranma asked as he and Raiden were at a booth in a Pokémon Center on the road to the Fuscha Gym. Nearby, Sam and Jeanette were waiting on a bench as their Pokémon were having their checkups by Nurse Joy.

"I'm doing fine Ranma. Oh by the way, I'd like you to meet someone. Say hello to my new lab assistant, Tracey." The Pokémon researcher gestured to the side and spoke to someone else. "Tracey, I'd like you to meet the trainer I told you about, Ranma Saotome."

Another person came to the vidphone with an excited look on his face. "Wow! So you're the trainer that defeated Prima! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Uh, yeah, it's nice to meet with you too." Ranma was still not used to the publicity that he had gained since that time in Stone Town. "So you're Professor Oak's new assistant?"

"Yes." The boy with the headband answered. "My name is Tracey Sketchit and I'm also a Pokémon Watcher. I've heard a lot about you and my friend Ash would love to meet with you!"

"Really? Well maybe." Jeanette had told Ranma about her battle in the Indigo League and how her Bellsprout had been defeated by Ash's Muk.

Professor Oak then took the phone from Tracey. "Well Ranma, how are you doing with your Pokémon journey?"

"Fine. Though I've been kinda drawing a lot of attention lately." Ranma replied with a bit of a sheepish voice. Ever since he arrived at the Pokémon Center, he had been approached by no more than fifty people who either wanted his autograph, asking about his techniques, or wanted to battle his Pokémon.

"Yes, I know." Professor Oak said with a smile. "Your exploits have been making the news lately. The media had started to call you the Gym Destroyer."

"Gym Destroyer?"

"Well, you and your Pokémon are quite powerful from what I've heard, and you've already gained a Boulder Badge, Thunder Badge, a Rising Sun Badge, Rainbow Badge, an Earth Badge and a Marsh Badge. Am I correct?"

"How did you know I had those particular badges?"

"Oh, I just looked up the Pokémon Gyms that were not taking any more challengers until they were repaired. I found out that a certain trainer that traveled with a Pikachu with a headband had defeated each of those Gym Leaders. Their description of that trainer fit yours perfectly and when they described some of the Pokémon attacks that were used, I knew it had to be you."

"I see." Ranma bent down and retrieved something from his backpack. It was a case that he had made to store his badges. He opened it up and displayed the contents to both Oak and Tracey.

"Very impressive!" The professor remarked as he and his assistant looked at the proof to Ranma's achievements. "I see that you're only one badge away from qualifying for the Indigo League."

"Wow!" Tracey exclaimed as he saw the star-shaped badge on one end. "A Diamond Staryu Badge! Misty would love to have one of those!"

"Pikachu!" Raiden said with pride.

"Thanks. By the way Professor, what did you mean when you said that I'm only one badge away from competing in the Indigo League?" Ranma asked. "I thought I needed eight. I only count six Indigo Badges and one Orange League Badge."

"Actually Ranma, that Diamond Staryu Badge also counts as one of the badges accepted by the Indigo League." Oak explained. "Prima was part of the Indigo League some ten years ago before she moved to the Orange Islands. She's one of the top-ranking Pokémon trainers in the world and her Diamond Staryu Badge is good for both divisions."

"Cool!" Ranma said as he put away his case.

"So where are you headed now?" Oak asked.

"Well, I guess I'll try my luck at the Fuscha Gym." Ranma replied.

"Pika!"

"Ah, so you are going for a Soul Badge? Well, I wish you the best of luck and I certainly hope that the Fuscha Gym will still be standing after the match."

"Heh, heh, we'll try not to go overboard." Ranma laughed a bit nervously. _Though I hope the Gym Leader's insurance is paid up on his gym_>

"Oh yes, before you leave, I have something for you." Professor Oak held up a device in front of the viewscreen. It resembled a cell phone but Ranma recognized it as something else.

"Hey! Isn't that a Pokédex?"

The scientist nodded. "Yes, it's the latest model and it has been updated with the all the most recent discoveries and newest species of Pokémon. Do you still have your Pokédex?"

"Sure, it's right here." Ranma held up his own Pokédex.

"Place it into the transporter beside you and I'll swap it for this new model. Don't worry though. All the data that you've gathered on your old Pokédex will be transferred to this new one as well as stored into my computer back here."

"All right Professor. Here it comes." Ranma placed his old Pokédex into the transporter device. A moment later, the device disappeared and was instantly replaced by the new model. Ranma smiled as he picked it up and opened it.

*HELLO. I AM DEXTER MARK 2. I HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO POKÉMON TRAINER RANMA SAOTOME OF PALLET TOWN. IF I AM LOST OR STOLEN I CANNOT BE REPLACED.*

The martial artist Pokémon Trainer nodded as he put the Pokédex into his pocket. "Thanks a lot Professor Oak."

"No problem Ranma. Good luck and call back soon."

"Thanks. Nice meeting with you too, Tracey." Ranma then hung up as motioned to his traveling companions. A few minutes later, they were on their way to the Fuscha Gym.

Some time later...

"Are you sure this is the way to the Fuscha Gym?" Ranma asked Jeanette as they both rode their Rapidashes at an easy trot. Sam was riding behind Ranma on Wildfire as she had decided to give her Fearow a rest. Ranma was very uncomfortable having a very pretty girl with her arms wrapped around him. Sam was enjoying every minute of it, while Jeanette tried to fight down the jealousy she felt at seeing them so close to each other. They were currently traveling down a forest pathway.

"Yes, this is way to go if you want to get a Soul Badge." Jeanette replied.

"Who's the Gym leader and what's he or she like?" Ranma inquired.

Sam answered his question before Jeanette could reply. "His name is Koga and I think he specializes in Poison-type Pokémon, especially Bug types."

"Yes, but I bet you didn't know that he's also a martial artist." Jeanette said smugly.

"Really?" Ranma became very interested.

"Pika." Raiden was also wondering if this Koga was any match for his master, though he seriously doubted it.

Jeanette nodded. "Yes, his gym is also a training complex for ninjas. He's a good friend of my mother's and helped her set up the Crimson City Pokémon Gym and Dojo."

"Well, that's interesting." Ranma remarked. "Hey, do you think that maybe I can get a match with him after I get the Soul Badge?"

Jeanette thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe. But don't think he'll be a pushover. It took me a while to get a Soul Badge from him."

"My Pokémon and I can handle it." Ranma said with confidence.

"Pikachu!" Raiden affirmed. Wildfire snorted in agreement.

"My, my, aren't we confident?" Sam teased.

"Hey, it's not like I don't have a reason to be." Ranma said with a little more humble tone. "We've trained hard and we've done pretty well for ourselves so far. Since I train my Pokémon in the Anything Goes style, I kind of have an advantage over the other trainers."

"Speaking of which, I've never heard of a martial art called the Anything Goes." Jeanette said.

Sam nodded. "Come to think of it, you really haven't told us much about it or yourself since that time in Saffron City. You've only told us about that crazy Cat Fist training that your father put you through. I still can't believe it. Your father must be a complete moron!"

Ranma nodded. "No arguments here. Stupid old man didn't even read that second page."

Jeanette nodded. "Whoever heard of a training a six-year-old boy by throwing him into a pit of starving cats with fish sausage? That's just plain nuts! I'm not surprised that you went berserk whenever you see a cat." She then decided to move to another topic. "So what other stupid training sessions did he put you through?"

Ranma began to get nervous again. Ever since he told them about that experience, the girls had been pestering him to tell more about his life. "Well, I really don't want to talk about them. Some of the stuff was kind of... extreme. That was one of the reasons why I was so hesitant to start training you girls."

"Aw come on Ranma. I thought we were good friends now?" Sam purposely leaned a little closer to Ranma's back.

Jeanette frowned at Sam's bold move, and silently wished she thought of that. She then settled on exploiting on one of Ranma's few weaknesses. Motioning her Rapidash closer to Ranma's, she gave him her cutest pout and her eyes shined as if they were to shed tears. "Please Ranma? GOOD friends don't keep things from each other, right?"

Ranma became more uncomfortable. The girls were playing dirty and it was working, as he felt his resolve begin to waver. "Well..."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaassssse?" Both girls said in their most kawaii voices.

Raiden sighed and breathed out a small mushroom puff. He knew that when it came to pretty girls and their feminine wiles, his master just couldn't say no, especially since he didn't like to see them cry. The Pikachu wondered if anyone else was as pathetic.

"Pika... pika, pi... chu." ^^Wildfire, our master is a wuss when it comes to girls. Can anyone be as pathetic?^^

Wildfire snorted in agreement.

Somewhere out west...

"ACHOO!"

"Gesundheit Brock!"

"Thanks Misty. Someone must be talking about me."

Back to our story...

After a minute of the cute assault, Ranma finally caved in and said, "Okay, okay... so what exactly do want to know about me?"

"Everything!" Jeanette replied. "For starters, when did you start training in the martial arts and what exactly is the Anything Goes?"

Ranma took a deep breath and began telling his life's story. "Well, it all started when I was about five..."

After an hour of riding, Ranma had given the girls the highlights of his travels during the ten-year training journey. Of course, he intended not to mention that he was from another Earth, or about his Jusenkyo curse. He wasn't sure how the girls would react to seeing his curse, and he had come to enjoy their company. It had been a long and lonely life with only a greedy and stupid father as a companion. The fact that he changed into a girl with cold water might cause the girls to be repulsed by him; despite the effect the Water Stone had on Jusenkyo magic. However, even the abbreviated version of his life story was unbelievable in itself.

"What? You SWAM to China?" Jeanette said in shock.

"You putting us on!" Sam added.

Ranma shook his head. "Nope. Pop and I actually swam the entire distance between Japan and China. He said that is was part of the training." Ranma then took on Genma's solemn look and imitated his voice. "Son, do not think of this as a hardship, but rather a blessing in disguise. A true martial artist must overcome all obstacles in his training to achieve higher enlightenment." Ranma then snorted in disgust. "If you ask me, we swam to China because he was too cheap to buy plane tickets!"

Back on Ranma's world of origin...

"ACHOO!"

Genma shook his head and wondered where that sudden sneeze came from. Then more important thoughts came to mind. Such as how was he going to explain to Nodoka that he had lost their only child months ago? Also was the fact that he was currently being hunted by a band of very irate Chinese Amazons that was going to make a panda skin rug out of him if they ever caught him. It was just a little feast after all. Nothing to get excited about, right?

However, those Amazons were nothing if not persistent. Genma thought that now would be a good time to leave China. But where would he go? Without his son, he dared not return home, especially due to a little contract he signed with his wife, with his head as collateral. So that left only...

_Soun! That's it! I'll go to Soun's! After I explain everything to him, I'm sure he'll help! Ungrateful boy had to go and run off like that! Just when we were about to go and fulfill the pledge to unite the schools! OH, what did I do to deserve a worthless son such as Ranma?_>

The Pokémon World...

"ACHOO!"

"Bless you, Ranma." Sam said.

"Thanks." _Where did that come from?_> "In any case, Pops had gotten me involved in a lot of stupid things and stuff over the last ten years, and most of it I'm not really proud of. He got me involved in... acts that I was too young to realize that were wrong." Ranma became quiet as he remembered all the acts of theft that Genma had made him do when he was six. He had thought of it as a game at the time, but when he grew older, he realized that he was breaking the law and resolved not to do them any more.

"What kind of things?" Jeanette asked.

Ranma took a deep breath and sighed before going into detail. When he finished, both girls had horrified looks on their faces.

"What kind of father is he? He made you steal? That's terrible! " Sam said aghast.

"Well, yeah it was, but I was too young to know any better at the time."

"Well, at least you realized it later and stopped." Jeanette remarked.

"Yeah, well that doesn't really make things any better. Now you can understand why I don't like talking about my life." Ranma stated, to which the girls nodded. "In any case, the last straw came when we got to China. My old man didn't even bother to learn how to read or speak Chinese, when he came across a brochure about some training ground called Jusenkyo."

"Jusenkyo?" Sam asked.

Jeanette nodded in thought. "I know a little Chinese. I think it means... Pools of Sorrow?"

Ranma nodded. "Yep. That's what it meant. Of course, Pops, being the idiot that he was, didn't even bother to find out why the place was called that. He dragged me all over China looking for it, before we finally came across a guide who knew where it was."

Sam then thought about it. "Let me get this straight. Your father took you to a foreign country without even knowing how to speak or read the language, nor learn anything about the place where you were going to train? All because he saw the name in a brochure?"

"That's about it in a nutshell." Ranma replied.

"That is just plain stupid!" Jeanette declared.

Ranma nodded in agreement then bowed his head a bit in shame. "Yeah, well I guess you could call me stupid for going along with him, now that I think about it. I mean, why didn't I try to learn to speak Chinese while we were there? I could have asked the guide about Jusenkyo before we got there. But nooo, I just dumbly followed my father's lead and..." Ranma sighed again.

Sam and Jeanette looked at Ranma with a bit of surprise. This was a rare sight. Ranma was admitting to his mistakes and was acting with more humility.

The martial artist and Pokémon trainer continued on. "Well, Jusenkyo turned out to be more dangerous than we realized and... afterwards, I abandoned my father and went out on my own. A little while later, I met with Raiden and few months after that, I became a Pokémon trainer. The rest is as they say, is history."

"So what happened at Jusenkyo?" Sam asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Ranma replied.

"But..."

"I SAID, I DON'T want to TALK about it!" Ranma replied more forcefully as he held his Water Stone pendant and fingered it for a moment.

The two girls looked into Ranma's eyes and their hearts melted when they saw the sadness in them. They decided not to press for any more questions until later.

"Well, the good thing is, that you did get away from your father." Sam said.

Ranma became a bit more relaxed and smiled. "Yeah. Going on my own was the best decision I ever made. Who knows what other bad things would have happened if I hadn't left him." _Though knowing Pop, he probably would have gotten me involved in some kind of deal to feed his stomach and say it was my duty or obligation._>

Ranma's Earth...

"ACHOO!"

"ACHOO!"

"ACHOO!"

Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane all wondered why they suddenly sneezed when their father had gotten a call from an old friend and wanted discuss something about a matter of family honor.

Pokémon world...

As the sun began to set, the three decided to camp out for the night. As Ranma drew his Pokémon aside for some training, Jeanette and Sam were preparing dinner. An hour later, they went off to tell Ranma that it was time to eat. They stopped in their tracks as they came to another clearing to where Raiden, Bruiser, Razor and Sea Storm were sparring against each other. Wildfire was off to another side. It was then that they saw the Rapidash suddenly rear up and then bring both front hooves down to the ground. The ground trembled as flames leapt out and burned their way toward a large, dead tree. The flames blazed twin trenches into the soil, then slammed into the tree, causing it to explode into embers. The two stared in amazement as Wildfire neighed joyfully at his accomplishment. Raiden and the other Pokémon stopped in their sparring and applauded. Raiden then caught sight of the girls and waved to them.

"Pikachu!"

Both girls glanced to the Pikachu and were brought out of their momentary shock. Jeanette nodded to the electric rodent and asked. "Raiden, it's time to eat. Where's Ranma?"

"Pika!" The Pokémon pointed to another clearing some fifty meters away. Sam and Jeanette nodded and headed over there. The Pokémon all went back to the campsite.

When they got to the other clearing, they saw Wind Rider perched in a tree nearby, and Ranma standing in the middle of a large, crudely drawn spiral that he had made with a stick.

"Hey Ranma, it's time to eat!" Sam called out as she and Jeanette approached him.

"Be right there!" Ranma called back as he continued to stare at the spiral he had drawn.

"What are you doing?" Jeanette asked.

Ranma continued to stare at the spiral. "I'm trying to figure out how to do Wind Rider's Whirlwind Attack."

"I thought you already knew how to do that." Sam asked.

"Not really. My Wind Cannon and Hurricane Gust is based more on his Gust attack. They can only shoot off one direction. Think of how cool it would be to take out multiple targets if I was surrounded or something, right?"

"I get it. Well, can't it wait until after dinner? We're all starving!" Jeanette asked.

"I suppose. I'm not in any hurry." Ranma said, as he motioned for his Pidgeotto to follow them back to camp.

"By the way. We saw your Rapidash blow up a tree from twenty meters away. It looked like a Fissure attack, but it had flames." Sam said.

"Oh. Well that was Wildfire's new Fire Wave Fissure Attack."

"Fire Wave Fissure?" Both girls repeated.

"Yeah, I figured that Wildfire needed a ranged attack, so I combined a Ground Attack with his flames. Since he already knew how to Stomp, it was just a matter of revising it."

"Cool! Do you think my Rapidash can learn that?" Jeanette asked.

"We'll see." Ranma said as he looked over his shoulder at the spiral he had drawn. He then shrugged and thought. _I do want to know how to duplicate the process in which Wind Rider can make those tornadoes. Bet I'm the only one who ever thought about creating this kind of technique!_>

Not quite, for in the Amazon village on Ranma's world of origin...

"ACHOO!"

Cologne had wondered why she had suddenly sneezed when she contemplated teaching her great-granddaughter how to do the Hiryu Shoten Ha.

(And I believe I have run that sneeze gag into the ground now)

A few days later...

"Well, this is it." Jeanette said as they came across a huge, Japanese style complex, with the dojo located in back.

"So where do we go?" Ranma asked.

Jeanette pointed to the open gate and gestured for her friends to follow. She then stopped as she saw something standing at the end of the entrance hall.

Ranma moved forward and saw that it was a Pokémon. It looked like an oversized ball of purple fuzz with feet, antennae, and large red eyes like an insect's.

*VENONAT, A PSYCHIC BUG POKÉMON. IT USES ITS LARGE EYES LIKE RADAR TO SEE IN THE DARK. ITS ATTACKS INCLUDE PSI-BEAM, AND VARIOUS SPORES.*

"Veno... nat."

"Cool!" Ranma commented as he put away his Pokédex.

Jeanette nodded as she said. "As we said before, Koga's gym specializes in Poison-type Pokémon. From here on in, you'll have to follow Venonat there."

Ranma glanced at the Pokémon, then looked back at Jeanette in confusion.

The girl smiled as she crossed her arms and shrugged. "That's the way I had to do it. Good luck."

Ranma gave his companion a suspicious look, then decided that to follow her instructions, since she was here before. He and Raiden stepped forward toward Venonat, which in turn, turned around and bolted behind a corner.

"Hey! Wait up!"

"Pikachu!"

As Ranma disappeared around the corner, Jeanette held up a hand to her mouth and giggled a bit. Sam frowned at her companion.

"Okay Jeanette, what's going on?"

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Jeanette replied with mock innocence.

"Come on, spill it!" Sam demanded.

Jeanette shrugged as she leaned forward and cupped a hand to her ear and listened. A moment later, she smiled as she heard a loud noise.

**_THUNK!_**

"OW!"

Jeanette stifled a small laugh. "Sounds like Ranma had just run into one of the transparent walls."

"What?"

Jeanette's smile became even more mischievous as they heard another sound.

**_THUMP!_**

"YOW!"

"That must have been the collapsible wall that leads to the edge of the cliff."

"WHAT?!"

**_FFFFT! THOK! THOK! THOK! THOK!_**

"Well, I guess he just met up with Ia."

"Who?"

It was then that they heard Ranma shout out.

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!"

Jeanette motioned to Sam to follow as she pushed at a sidewall, revealing a hidden passageway. "Come on. We better get in there and stop them before Ranma beats Ia senseless."

At the Pokémon Gym...

"Born in darkness, living in darkness. Such is the fate of the ninja. I am Ia, ninja warrior."

Ranma was already in a defensive stance with Raiden also prepared at his feet. Behind him were eight shurikens that were imbedded into the wall. When the Pokémon trainer and martial artist had followed Venonat into the mansion, he had a sneaky suspicion that he was walking into some kind of setup. His suspicions were confirmed after running into a transparent wall, then almost falling over the cliffside when a part of the outer wall fell away. No sooner had he had gotten back on his feet and started chasing after Venonat again, he had found himself inside a large training area and a barrage of throwing stars were hurled at him. Unlike Ash Ketchum, Ranma's skills easily allowed him to dodge them. He made a neat flip forward before ending up in his battle stance. He found himself facing off against a green-haired girl of sixteen or so who was crouched before him. Her hair was done up in a kind of topknot ponytail, and she was wearing an electric pink outfit that Ranma recognized as belonging to that of the female ninja, or kunoichi. Although, he thought that the color was a bit loud and that her skirt a bit short, too short as he found himself staring at her long legs. He shook his head and focused on her face. A very attractive face at that with lively eyes and that cute nose and... looking downward, he noted that she had ample...

_What am I thinking?!_> Ranma shook his head again. Being with two attractive girls all the time and without his father made him become more aware of female attributes.

Ia smiled as she stood up and said, "You dodged my little 'star' treatment. I'm impressed. You're as good a fighter as I've heard... Ranma Saotome."

This caught Ranma's attention. "Hey, how do you know my name?"

It was then that another panel opened up and Sam and Jeanette emerged from it. Jeanette smiled at Ranma, then bowed respectfully to Ia. "It's good to see you Ia."

Ia smiled as she too bowed to her then went over to give her a hug.

Ranma then got a bit steamed as he realized what had happened. "Wait a minute. You guys know each other? This was a setup?"

Both girls gently laughed before Jeanette addressed him. "I'm sorry Ranma. But when I called my mother last week, she had informed me that she had spoken with Ia and Koga and told them all about you. This was all just a bit of a test. You remember back when you challenged my mother and that you had to defeat not only Bruiser, but also me? Well, the Fuscha Gym is also like that. They test both the Pokémon and their trainers."

Ia nodded as her Venonat came up to stand beside her. She bent down to pet it. "This is a training camp after all, and unlike the last challenger, you didn't let your guard down. I'd be honored to have a Pokémon battle with you."

Ranma was still a bit miffed at being manipulated, but then smiled as a Pokémon battle would be a perfect way to get back at her. "Okay, why not? I accept your challenge."

As the two faced off in the dojo, Ia smirked. She knew about Ranma's Pokémon and how he battled from all the news media about him and what Jeanette's mother had told her. However, she had her own strategy as she said to Ranma, "One Pokémon for each of us. Choose yours now!"

Ranma nodded. He realized that she was making him make the first choice. In the past, he had always let his opponent make the first choice of Pokémon, so he would choose a Pokémon that could defeat it. Now he would have to go first. He looked down at Raiden with a questioning expression. The electric rodent nodded his assent to let another Pokémon go. Ranma had gotten predictable by using Raiden all the time. Since the Fuscha gym specializes in Bug types and that Venonat was standing beside Ia.

"All right, let's go... SEA STORM!"

"Golduck!" The evolved form of Psyduck appeared in front of them.

Ia nodded as she saw Sea Storm. "Ah, a water-type. Excellent against Bug Types, but... I select Electrode!"

Ranma winced as he saw the Pokémon appear. He then looked at Jeanette, who was standing on the sidelines with Sam.

"Sorry. I forgot to mention. Koga's gym may specialize in Bug and Poison types, but they also have a lot of Voltorbs and Electrodes."

Ranma took out his Pokédex.

*ELECTRODE, THE BOMB BALL POKÉMON. THIS POKÉMON IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF VOLTORB AND LIKE VOLTORB, IS OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR POKÉBALLS. THEY ARE OF THE ELECTRIC TYPE AND THEIR STRONGEST ATTACK IS EXPLOSION.*

"Uh oh." Ranma said as the Electrode began powering up.

"Electrode! THUNDERBOLT!" Ia commanded.

"Electrode!"

Sea Storm however, wasn't going to just stand there and get hit. The Golduck swerved to the left to dodge the attack then did a neat flip to launch himself toward his opponent in a flying kick. The kick connected and Electrode was sent back several feet. However, impacting against its charged surface, caused Sea Storm to yelp as several hundred volts were conducted into him. The Golduck went sprawling.

Ia smirked. "I see that you have taught your Golduck well in the martial arts. However, it is still at a disadvantage against an Electric type."

Ranma smiled a bit. "Just makes it more challenging, doesn't it? And don't count Sea Storm out, just because he's a water type." It was at this point that Sea Storm got back to his feet and took another stance. "SEA STORM! KI BLAST!"

"Golduck!"

To Ia's amazement, the Golduck cupped its hands and then launched a blue bolt of energy at her Electrode, blasting it back a few more feet. The Pokémon became stunned at the unexpected attack and was reeling. It wobbled unsteadily and that was all Sea Storm needed. He engaged his Disable attack, which caused Electrode to be frozen on the spot. Then using his Confusion attack, he sent the ball Pokémon bouncing like a... well, like a ball. After ten successive slams, Sea Storm charged forward and delivered several punches and kicks. Since Electrode was dazed from the Confusion attack, it didn't have time to power up its electrical field. After kicking it back like a soccer ball, Sea Storm took a stance and looked back at his master.

Ranma nodded as he decided to finish Electrode off. "SEA STORM! PSYCHIC TSUMNAMI!"

The Golduck began powering up his ki and psychic energies as his battle aura flared. Jeanette and Sam knew where this was going. Ranma's Pokémon was about to trash the gym before facing the Gym Leader. As always, Ranma and his Pokémon tended to go overboard when in battle.

Ia was amazed at the power that radiated from Ranma's Golduck. Despite the advantage that Electric Types had over Water Pokémon, it was clear that Ranma's Pokémon at a far higher level and that there was no way Electrode could withstand an attack as intense as this one. Apparently, Ranma's Pokémon weren't very concerned with the normal rules of Pokémon combat.

"STOP!"

Golduck stopped powering up as Ranma looked around at the sound of the voice. When a Voltorb dropped from out of nowhere and exploded, the entire room was filled with thick clouds of smoke. It was that moment that a shadowy figured appeared and stood beside Ia. When the dust cleared, Ranma saw the owner of the voice, Koga, of the Fuscha Gym.

Ranma motioned for Sea Storm to join him and Raiden as he addressed the newcomer. "Koga, I presume?"

Koga nodded as he turned to Ia. "Once again, you had underestimated your opponent, Ia. Recall your Electrode. This battle is over and I declare your opponent to be the victor."

"But honored brother, I had not yet lost!"

"And do you think your Electrode could have beaten that Golduck's attack, especially in its condition?" He gestured to the Electrode, who was still seeing stars.

Ia became silent as she thought about it. She then nodded and reluctantly recalled her Pokémon. She then bowed to Ranma. "Thank you for the match."

Ranma nodded in return and focused his attention on her brother. He could tell that Koga was a martial artist by the way he stood. Koga had dark hair in a spiky style and wore a red sash around his waist. He was dressed in a full body, ninja outfit.

"I was very impressed by your Golduck's mental and ki control." Koga stated. "You have trained it well."

Ranma smiled at the compliment as he held up a hand. "Yeah, well I'd like to think so." He then made a small ball of blue energy appear above the palm. Raiden nodded to Sea Storm as they both powered up their battle auras in demonstration. "In any case, I think you know why I'm here."

"Indeed." Koga held out a scroll and let it roll down; revealing a heart-shaped badge attached to it. "You wish for this Soul Badge. However, I will not be so easy to defeat."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Ranma responded as he motioned for Raiden to step forward. "Let's battle!"

Koga nodded as he held up a hand. "Would you mind if we battled outside? I would prefer to keep my training area intact."

Ranma winced again and then gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, I guess you heard about those other gyms that I..."

"Destroyed? Oh yes. I've heard a lot about the Gym Destroyer."

Ranma could only scratch the back of his head as a huge sweatdrop appeared. He laughed nervously some more as he realized how close he and Sea Storm had come to destroying the gym.

Meanwhile, on the outside of the gym, several shadowy figures were speaking to a portable communicator as Giovanni gave his instructions.

"Now listen up. Thirteen Team Rocket members are now in jail because of that trainer, Ranma Saotome. I am getting very annoyed at all these bunglers and failures!"

"Do not worry. We shall not fail!" One of them said.

"Unlike those fools, we know only of success." The second one said.

"Besides, we have a score to settle with the Gym Leader."

Giovanni nodded. "Remember, I want either the trainer, his Pokémon or both brought back to headquarters, as well as any other Pokémon you can get from the Fuscha Gym."

"Hai!" The group acknowledged.

On the outside of the training area, Ranma faced off against his opponent Koga. Raiden stood beside his master, waiting for the order to step in if needed.

"We shall have a three-on-three battle young man." Koga announced as he took out his first Pokéball. "A different Pokémon for each round and you will go first each time!" As the Gym Leader, Koga had the right to set up the parameters of the Pokémon challenge.

"Sounds good to me." Ranma said. On the sidelines, Jeanette, Sam, Venonat and Ia stood by to watch.

"This is going to be messy." Sam commented. "Ranma's Pokémon is going to cream Koga's."

"Don't be too sure." Ia remarked. "My brother has been studying Ranma's exploits and he's been preparing for him. Ranma may have beaten my Electrode, but he's going to have his hands full."

"Choose your first Pokémon!" Koga said.

"All right. Let's go Wind Rider!" Ranma tossed out the Pokéball and his Pidgeotto emerged.

"Pidgooooo!"

Koga nodded as he took out his Pokéball. "I shall begin with... Venomoth!"

Sam gasped. "Venomoth doesn't stand a chance against Ranma's Pidgeotto!"

Ia looked over to Sam and asked. "Why do you say that? Venomoth's spore attacks have beaten normal bird types before." She remembered back to when Ash Ketchum had tried to use his Pidgeotto.

"Yeah, but Wind Rider is anything BUT normal!"

It was then that Ranma gave the order to attack.

"WIND CANNON!"

With a single flap of his wings, Ranma's Pidgeotto launched a blast of compressed air at the moth Pokémon. Now usually, Venomoth would have been slammed into the wall of the gym, but since they were outside, the Bug Pokémon simply rode out the attack and then gained altitude. It was soon flying above its opponent.

Koga laughed a bit. "Now you can see another reason why I wanted us to fight outside, Saotome. Venomoth has far more room to fight and I have been training it to be maneuverable!" He then looked up at his Venomoth. "VENOMOTH! STUN SPORE!"

"Venomoth!" The winged Bug Pokémon let loose with a huge cloud of spores that blanketed the area above where Wind Rider was flying.

_Not bad!_> Ranma thought. He was going up against an opponent that used strategy. "WIND RIDER, CYCLONE SPIN BLAST OFF!"

Wind Rider closed in his wings and focused his ki. The bird then shot forward, spinning like a drill and pulling the descending cloud behind in his jet wash. The bird then suddenly shot straight up like a rocket then made a tight loop in the air above where Venomoth was hovering. The spores blanketed the Bug Pokémon and caused it to become shaky in flight, making it difficult to stay aloft.

"NOW, QUICK ATTACK... ANYTHING GOES STYLE!"

"Pidgooo!"

Koga watched in astonishment as Wind Rider began darting back and forth at Venomoth, delivering dozens of fast, high-impact strikes with the head, wings, talons and body. Ranma had modified the basic midair combat techniques of the Anything Goes to suit Wind Rider's Quick Attack. Now instead of a simple fast charge, the Pidgeotto could let loose with a series of rapid-fire strikes with each pass. When Wind Rider made the last pass, Venomoth was out cold and plummeted to the ground. Ranma gestured to his bird, which dived down after the Bug Pokémon and caught it before it could hit the ground. Ranma smiled as he watched his Pokémon set Koga's gently down in front of him, before flying back to land at his master's side.

Sam gave a smug look to Ia. "See? I told you."

Koga was impressed. No, he was absolutely awestruck as he recalled his Pokémon. He looked up to Ranma and nodded. "Magnificent! That was a very impressive display!" The Gym Leader had thought that Ranma's Pokémon would use its wind attacks, not physically overpower his Venomoth.

"Thanks." Ranma replied. "Shall we get on with it?" He took out another Pokéball and tossed it. "Razor... go!"

Ranma's Sandslash appeared.

Koga nodded. "You have trained your Pokémon exceptionally well! But, you will find this one to be much more of a challenge! I select... Golbat!"

"Golbat!"

*GOLBAT, THE EVOLVED FORM OF ZUBAT. ATTACKING WITH ITS SHARP FANGS, THIS POKÉMON CAN DRAIN 300 CUBIC CENTIMETERS OF BLOOD PER BITE. ITS STRONGEST ATTACK IS MEGA DRAIN.*

Ia nodded. "Now my brother has the advantage. The Sandslash is very weak against air opponents."

"Don't be too sure." Jeanette remarked. "Ranma usually finds a way to overcome the weaknesses of his Pokémon."

"GOLBAT! SCREECH ATTACK!"

The bat Pokémon let loose with a horrid screech. Razor was quite put off by the sound. Everyone held his or her ears as the sound made their ears ring. Everyone except Koga, who stood by calmly, unaffected by the sound.

"DIG DOWN RAZOR!" Ranma called out.

"Slash!" The Sandslash dived underground to escape the noise. As soon as the Golbat saw that its opponent was gone, it stopped screeching and searched for any sign of the mouse. The ground trembled as the Sandslash burrowed deep. Then, just below where Golbat was hovering, Razor suddenly burst out from the ground and knocked the bat upward with a Skull Bash.

"ANYTHING GOES RAZOR!"

While still in midair, Razor began the Saotome specialty of the Anything Goes. However, being slower than Raiden, plus the fact that Koga's Pokémon was a Flying Type, the Sandslash found out that midair combat was not as effective. Golbat dodged the first strike, then hit back with its feet, connecting with Razor's head. A double swipe with its wings sent Razor flying back to the ground.

"Razor!" Ranma cried out as he saw his Pokémon land hard on his back.

Koga then called out. "NOW! WING ATTACK!"

The bat made several darting passes at the Sandslash and scored a few hits. Though they weren't much against Razor's tough hide, they did keep him from launching any attacks. Then as the Golbat made another pass, Koga called for its strongest attack.

"MEGA DRAIN!"

The Golbat opened up its mouth and latched onto Razor's unprotected neck. The Two began to glow as Golbat began sucking away Razor's energy like a Leech Seed. However, Razor wasn't going to go down without a fight and used one of his paws to slap away the Golbat. Golbat flapped away but was feistier than ever from the energy it had taken from Razor. Razor woozily got to his feet and took a shaky stance, more than ready to continue.

Ranma however, knew that Razor was in no shape to fight. "No Razor, that's enough. You did your best, so come on back!"

"Slash!" Razor shook his head. He wanted to get back at that flying vampire!

Ranma sighed as he held up Razor's Pokéball and pleaded with him. "Please Razor... I don't want to see you hurt any more. Please... return."

Razor looked at his master's sad expression and then reluctantly nodded. Ranma activated the recall mechanism and the Sandslash was recalled.

Koga nodded as he said, "Your Pokémon has a great fighting spirit. It is a true warrior, but you were wise to recall your Sandslash. This round goes to me!"

Ranma nodded, respecting his opponent. "I have to admit, that Golbat was good and it has shown me that Razor needs a bit more practice with dealing with air opponents."

Koga agreed. "Yes, I had seen on the news of how your Pokémon were proficient in aerial attacks and decided that the best way to defeat that Anything Goes attack was to train my flying Pokémon in midair attacks as well."

"Yeah, I noticed your Golbat's kicking and wing strikes. This is getting to be some match."

"And now, it is time for our final round!" Koga held up his third Pokéball.

Ranma nodded. Koga had planned for this Badge challenge in advance. By using different Pokémon per round, Ranma would always be facing off against a fresh Pokémon each time and wouldn't be able to decided which to battle Koga's, since he had to go first.

On the sidelines, Sam and Jeanette were on edge. Ranma and Koga were tied at one round each and this fight would decide the winner. After witnessing Ranma lose the second round, they began to worry. Koga was certainly using good strategy. This last fight could go either way.

_Which is it going to be Ranma? Raiden, or someone else?_> Ranma pondered for a moment, then he looked down at Raiden.

The electric mouse nodded up to him with an expression that told Ranma that he would respect any decision he made.

Ranma thought for a few moments more, then realized that he had been using Raiden a lot and that would have made him predictable. Koga would have probably prepared for a fight against Raiden so...

"Go... Bruiser!"

"Machop!"

Koga nodded. "An excellent choice! But let us see if you can stand up to mine! I choose... Hitmonlee!"

Ranma blanched as he saw Koga's choice. Then again, it made sense that Koga would have a fighting type Pokémon as well.

*HITMONLEE, ALSO KNOWN AS THE KICKING FIEND. ITS POWERFUL LEGS CAN REDUCE BOULDERS TO GRAVEL AND CAN DELIVER EXTREMELY FAST KICKS.*

Ranma's eyes narrowed. This one was a lot faster than the Hitmonchan Bruiser had faced off a while ago and he could tell that this Pokémon had also done some serious training. He took a deep breath. He was committed and hoped that Bruiser's training had raised his level high enough.

"BRUISER, MEGA PUNCH!"

"Hitmonlee!"

Hitmonlee suddenly let loose with a barrage of kicks that were almost too fast for the eyes to track. The Machop's Mega Punch was faster than normal, but not fast enough.

Ranma winced as Bruiser took several hits to the side, but the Machop hung in until he spotted an opening. Grabbing the leg as it was extended, Bruiser began swinging around his opponent into a Seismic Toss. Slamming Hitmonlee to the ground, the Machop then charged up for another Mega Punch. When Hitmonlee sprang back up, Bruiser swung forward.

Hitmonlee raised a leg to counter the punch, then crouched down and applied a leg sweep. Ranma's Machop went down, but rolled out of the way as Hitmonlee tried a Stomp attack. This was followed by another barrage of near-supersonic kicks. Bruiser was knocked back, but remained on his feet.

"MOKO TAKABISHA!"

Bruiser began focusing his ki and then launched a blast at Hitmonlee. However, the kicking Pokémon was faster and used its powerful legs to launch itself high into the air to avoid the attack. Bruiser leapt up after it.

Hitmonlee reared back a foot and waited for the last possible moment before releasing a devastating reverse spin kick at Bruiser's head. The kick connected, but the Machop grasped the foot as it touched his face and smiled evilly.

"Machop!"

"All right!" Ranma exclaimed. Bruiser had tricked Hitmonlee into extending itself and now the Machop had one of the Kicking Fiend's legs in a bind. "ANYTHING GOES!"

Machop pulled Hitmonlee forward and began landing punches and kicks on his stunned opponent, then finished it off by putting it into a Seismic Toss. The kicking Pokémon was slammed back down into the ground and Bruiser added the final touch.

"MA... CHOP!"

A blue ki blast fired down and impacted heavily onto Hitmonlee. There was a huge cloud of dust that formed around the downed Pokémon. When the dust settled down as Machop landed, Hitmonlee was in no condition to battle.

"Hit... mon... lee."

"MACHOP!" Bruiser raised an arm in triumph as Ranma and his group cheered. It had been a spectacular match.

Koga nodded as he recalled Hitmonlee then approached Ranma. "You have defeated me. Your reputation as a skilled trainer has been acknowledged and I am pleased to give you this." Koga held out the scroll and unrolled it, revealing the Soul Badge.

Ranma smiled as he took it and said, "You were a good opponent and that was a great match."

"Yes, but it seems all my preparations wasn't enough." He then gestured to his Pokémon. "Young man, would consider trading any of your Pokémon?"

Ia also walked up to them with Sam and Jeanette behind her. "I would gladly trade for some of them as well." She also gave Ranma an appraising look, much to the dismay of Sam and Jeanette.

Ranma smiled as he shook his head. "Sorry but I wouldn't trade my best friends for anything, right guys?" Ranma looked at Raiden, Wind Rider and Bruiser.

"Pikachu!"

"Pidgooo!"

"MA... chop?"

"Is anything wrong Bruiser?"

That was when Bruiser began to glow.

"Uh oh! Looks like that last battle was intense enough! Bruiser's evolving!" Jeanette exclaimed.

The small humanoid Pokémon began to grow in size and gained a lot more muscle mass. The arms and legs became longer as the body became robust and well defined. When the light faded, Bruiser was now taller and looked like a body builder, but was a bit leaner, due to its martial arts training.

"Bruiser's a Machoke!" Sam said.

"MACHOKE!"

Ranma took out his Pokédex.

*MACHOKE, THE EVOLVED FORM OF MACHOP. IT POSSESS GREATER STRENGTH AND CAN LIFT OVER TEN TONS. BECAUSE OF ITS INCREASED POWER, IT USUALLY REQUIRES A POWER BELT TO KEEP ITS STRENGTH UNDER CONTROL. IT IS ALSO KNOW TO BE MORE VAIN THAN MACHOP.*

This was apparent as Ranma's Machoke struck a pose and flexed his biceps.

Ranma smiled as he put away his Pokédex. "Don't let it go to your head Bruiser, just because you've evolved." He then held up a hand, which glowed with ki.

The Machoke then stared at his trainer for a minute, as if comparing his new power to Ranma's. He then nodded as he still respected Ranma as his sensei and relaxed.

Ranma nodded as he held up a Pokéball. "We'll see about getting you a Power Belt or train to have you control that new strength later. Good job anyway. Return..."

It was then that that everyone heard laughter and a smokebomb was thrown. A huge net with weights on the edges came down on top of them. Ranma felt himself sticking to the net and realized that it was coated with some kind of adhesive. He then saw four shadowy figures appear from the clouds, dressed in ninja outfits, with letter R's printed on one side of their chests.

_Oh no! Who the hell are THESE guys?!_>

(You knew this was coming!)

"To blanket the world in darkness and devastation!"

"To subject the people to ninja occupation!"

"To make the world tremble of the shadow four!"

"To take revenge on Koga and even the score!"

"Leonardo!"

"Donatello!"

"Raphael!"

"Michelangelo!"

"Team Rocket Ninja! Tremble and fear us on sight!"

"Surrender now, for you cannot win the fight!"

"And if you resist, we shall extinguish your light."

"For you cannot withstand the shadow four's might!"

(Okay, I admit it. This has got to be one of THE lamest Team Rockets that I could come up with)

Ranma moaned as he saw these people. Koga became very displeased when he saw them. He stood up and addressed the leader.

"I had not expected to see the four of you again. Why have you returned?"

Ranma turned to speak to Koga. "You know THESE morons?"

"Indeed. They were all former disciples of mine, until I caught them stealing and selling the gym's Pokémon and family treasures. I had cast them out of this gym and had them arrested! You four are not welcome here!"

"Hah!" Leonardo sneered as he held up a twin pair of katanas. "We have joined Team Rocket now and you are in no position to stop us from taking what we want!"

Michelangelo nodded as he swung around a pair of nunchakus. "Our new master wishes for us to bring in your opponent, Ranma Saotome and his Pokémon, as well as all of yours, Koga."

"I'm sure that he will be pleased when we bring in a new Machoke!" Raphael stated as he produced a pair of sais.

"And there is nothing that you can do about it!" Donatello said as he swung a Bo staff.

"Oh really?" Ranma said as he tapped the side of his belt of Pokéballs. "Oh Sea Storm." He then tossed the Pokéball through the gaps of the net.

"Golduck!"

Sea Storm formed outside of the net and launched a Disable attack, paralyzing the four ninjas. He then turned around and assessed the situation.

"Use your Ice Beam to freeze the net." Ranma commanded.

"Golduck!"

A light blast of cold energy was applied and caused the net to become brittle. Ranma and the others easily broke out as it shattered apart. The waterfowl then turned to finish off the ninjas, but Ranma placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Turn off your Disable Attack." Ranma said as he cracked his knuckles. "I feel like kicking some Team Rocket butts!"

The Golduck did as he was told and no sooner could the ninjas move...

**_WHAM! CRUNCH! WHAP! OW! SLAM! POW! OOH! KAPOW! KICK! YOW! OWIE! WE GIVE! WHAT? KABOOM! WHACK! POW! WHAM! CRASH! BOOM! SLAP! CRACK! YOWZA! MANGLE! WHOA!_**

Ia, Koga, Sam and Jeanette all had huge sweat drops on their heads as they watched the carnage.

"Brother?"

"Yes Ia?"

"I'm not so certain which is more dangerous. Ranma's Pokémon or their trainer."

Some time later...

Ranma shook Koga's hand as he and his companions were preparing to leave for their next destination.

"It was an honor meeting with you, Ranma Saotome." Koga said.

"Thanks. And Team Rocket?" Ranma asked.

"Do not worry. I have already called Officer Jenny to pick them up. What's left of them, that is."

"Okay. Well it was great going up against your Pokémon and maybe we'll have that match between us, eh?"

"I shall be looking forward to it. In any case, I believe that it is time that you were on your way. So where will you be going?"

"I don't know." Ranma replied as he absently stroked his Pikachu's ears. Raiden was perched on his shoulder. "I've got the required eight badges for the Indigo League, but since it won't start until next year, I don't have any idea of where to go from here."

It was then that Ia appeared with a carrying bag and said, "Why not head out west."

"West?"

"Yes. That is where all the newest Pokémon discoveries have been made and that is also where they are holding the Johto League."

"Really? Hmmm, why not? Sounds like a good place as any to go to." It was then that Ranma noticed the bag she was carrying. "Er, what's with the luggage?"

"Oh this? I've decided to go to the Johto League as well, and since you're going, I guess that makes us traveling companions, right?" She gave him a playful wink. "I'm sure that I can learn a lot from you."

"A marvelous idea!" Koga affirmed. "I'm certain that you'll be good company for my sister."

"WHAT?!" Sam and Jeanette gasped. They then gave the ninja girl angry, jealous glares.

"You can't just invite yourself along with us!" Sam said angrily.

"That's right!" Jeanette agreed. Sure Ia was a friend, but Ranma was hers!

"Well, I don't it's your decision to make, is it?" Ia said. "I don't think Ranma would mind, would you?" She gave him a very cute look and sided up to him.

Raiden gave another sigh as he saw Ranma beginning to falter to his weakness. "Pikachu." ^^Here we go again. ^^

Later...

Ranma walked up the pathway of a hill that overlooked a meadow and stopped when he reached the top. A few meters behind him, Sam, Jeanette and Ia were ignoring each other as walked toward where Ranma was.

The martial artist took in a deep breath as he watched sun dip toward the horizon.

"Johto League... Here we come!"

"Pikachu!"

To be continued... 

**Author's notes**

Wow! That was a long one! In any case, the long-awaited encounter between Ranma and Ash draws near as Ranma heads out to compete in the Johto League. The following are scenes for the next chapter.

Scene I

"Oh no! My Water Stone is broken!"

Scene II

"Ranma, is that... you?"

Scene III

"Hi there! My name's is Brock and I just wondering if..."

**_WHAM!_**

Scene IV

Pikachu Vs Raiden! 


	15. Chapter 15, Part 1: Ranma, Is That You?

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: Don't blame me! I'm just a cute little fanfic writer! 

: Thoughts 

* *: Pokédex responses 

^^ ^^: Pokémon language 

: Lyrics 

Ranma-Chan: Ranma as a girl 

The Johto Journeys Logo is shown as we begin Ranma's Johto Journey 

_It's a whole new world we live in!_

_Pokémon Johto!_

We now see Ranma riding racing across the landscape on his Rapidash. 

_Everybody wants to be a Master!_

Flash to Raiden, who is riding on Ranma's shoulder. 

_Everybody wants to show their skill!_

Cut to Jeanette who is riding her own Rapidash as she winks. 

_Everybody wants to get there faster!_

Cut to Sam and Ia who are riding her Fearow from above. 

_Make their way to the top of the hill!_

We now see Wildfire leaping across a canyon while Wind Rider soars above. 

_Each time you try, gonna get a little bit faster!_

Razor goes into a spinning attack as Sea Storm lets loose with his Water Cannon. 

_Each step you climb, one more step up the ladder!_

The scene now changes to Ranma as he gets splashed and changes into Ranma-chan as Raiden giggles slightly at his master's irritation. 

_It's a whole new world we live in!_

Bruiser pops up and winks as he gives a thumbs up. 

_It's a whole new way to see!_

We now see a close up of the three girls with Brock in the background looking at them with his usual lovesick expression. 

_It's a whole new world, with a brand-new attitude!_

We now see Ranma and Ash facing each other off as Raiden and Pikachu prepare to battle. 

_But you still gotta catch 'em all, to be the best that you can be!_

_It's a whole new world we live in!_

Ranma-chan is now stomping on a lovesick Brock and telling him to get lost. 

_But you still gotta catch 'em all, to be the best that you can be!_

Raiden and Pikachu leap at each other, preparing to let loose with Thundershocks. 

_Pokémon Johto!_

**Chapter 15 **

Part 1 

Ranma, Is That You? 

"Ranma! Wait up!" Jeanette called as she urged her Rapidash to go faster. Though her own flame-horse could do better than 150mph, that was considered less than cruising speed for Wildfire. Most Rapidashes were good for the short fast sprint, but Ranma's could maintain a velocity of 250mph over two hours before tiring appreciably. If he really wanted to, Wildfire could kick it up to 310mph for a few minutes and outstrip Jeanette's Rapidash. However, the evolved form of the Ponyta that the martial artist had rescued was just zipping along at 175 for a while, as they were on their way to the Johto League. 

High above them, Sam's Fearow was winging along with its two passengers; its trainer and Koga's sister Ia. It had been a relatively quiet week since the four of them had set off. Quiet in the sense that no major fights had broken out between the three attractive girls since they had visited New Barq Town to register. 

Flashback, a week ago... 

"Yes Nurse Joy. I'm here to register for the Johto League." Ranma said as he handed her his Pokédex. 

"Good." The Pokémon caregiver said as she took the device, along with the other Pokédexes, which belonged to Ranma's traveling companions, Ia and Jeanette. Sam was already a Gym Leader and was qualified to enter without needing eight Johto badges. One by one, their Pokédexes were inserted into a computer console with Ranma's being the last. When the screen flashed his picture on the monitor, it read out loud that Ranma's registration was complete. 

Nurse Joy handed back the group their Pokédexes and told them that the first Gym badge was in Violet City. The gang then sat down and waited for their Pokémon to return from their checkups. 

"So Ranma, tell me more about yourself." Ia asked. 

Ranma took a deep breath as he absently stroked his Pikachu's ears. "Well, there isn't much more I can tell you." Ia had been asking questions nonstop since she had joined him on his Pokémon journey. Of course, this diverted his attention from the other girls, which didn't set well with them. 

"Oh come on now, a talented trainer like you with nothing else to say?" Ia teased as she continued to prod Ranma with more questions. Ranma became even more nervous as Raiden sighed. 

"Pika, pi...chu.." ^^My trainer still needs to be trained about girls.^^ 

End of flashback... 

As of now, the four were on their way to defeat the Gym Leader of Violet City. Unlike most trainers, who have to walk on foot; with their modes of transportation, Ranma and his companions made good time and reached the outskirts of the city in less than a week. During that time, they continued on with their training. As a proficient ninja, Ia took to the Anything Goes like a fish to water, though training WITH Pokémon was something to get used to... 

Flashback... 

**_WHUMP!_**

"OW!" Ia winced as she rubbed her sore bottom. She sat up and glanced at her sparring partner, who apologized by bowing to her. 

"Pikachu." 

"I thought a Pikachu won by either electric or speed attacks. First time I ever went up against an electric rodent that used Aikido." Ia stood up and returned the bow to her partner. 

Ranma shrugged. "Well, I did warn you that training with me is a bit different from what you're used to. Training Pokémon is one thing, but training WITH the Pokémon not only strengthens the Pokémon, but also the trainer. And I think that if you're willing to go through the same training as your Pokémon go through, then there will be more trust between them and you." 

"Not a bad idea." Ia admitted as she gave Raiden a smile. 

Jeanette nodded as Sam also agreed. "That's right. Ranma has not only been training us in his fighting style, but he's also taken on our Pokémon as well. We've even sparred with Raiden there." 

"Don't remind me." Jeanette winced. "I've still got the bruises to prove it. And I thought teaching my Bellsprout how to use Aikido was hard. Raiden showed me a few tricks that even I never knew." 

"Well, in any case, we should be in Violet City by tomorrow." Ranma said to change the subject. "Do any of you know about the gym leader there?" 

"Well, I've heard that he's big lover of Bird Pokémon." Sam said. "I've also heard that he's made some up some interesting attacks to compensate for his Pokémon's weaknesses. In a way, he's kind of like you. He's always making up new kinds of tactics to catch his opponents off guard." 

"Hmmm..." Ranma thought about it for a moment. He was always on the lookout for new challenges and this next gym leader may be just the one to give him a good battle. 

---------- 

Later that night, the three girls were eating their dinners and preparing for sleep as Ranma was training nearby with his Pokémon, getting set to go up against the gym leader. As they sat and ate, they discussed about the only male in their little group. 

"So that's how I met Ranma." Sam said as she finished telling the others about her first encounter with Ranma. Jeanette and Ia had already told each other of their meetings with him. 

"He really made an impression, eh?" Jeanette said while giving her traveling companions a teasing smile. 

"I'll say! Though, despite being with him all this time, I still don't know much about him." Sam admitted. 

"He doesn't really talk much about himself, does he?" Ia commented. Like the other girls, she only knew of the basics of Ranma's training and life. He had purposely left out certain details, such as the fact that he was from another world and of course his little problem with Jusenkyo. Ia was quite skeptical when the girls had told her about the Neko Ken training, but since he no longer suffered from the fear of felines, it didn't really matter if she believed it or not. 

"He says that there's not much more that he can tell us about his life, but I get the feeling that he's still hiding something from us, something really big." 

It was at that moment that they heard a very loud scream, which they recognized as Ranma's, followed by a splashing noise. They immediately got to their feet and rushed to the area where they last saw him. They stopped dead in their tracks when they came to the clearing. 

Ranma-chan was on her rear, soaking wet and leaning against a tree. Her Golduck was beside her, apologizing for splashing his master... er, mistress with his Water Gun. Nearby, the Water Stone Pendant was in pieces on the ground. 

The transformed Ranma sighed as she looked up and saw the shocked expressions on the girls' faces. She could just imagine what they were about to say. 

"W-W-Who are you? Where's Ranma?" Jeanette stuttered. 

The martial artist and Pokémon trainer took a deep breath and stood up. "I'm... Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this." 

---------- 

"So that's the whole story." Ranma finished as he and the others sat around he campfire. In his mind, he still replayed the events that had just occurred. He had been sparring with his Golduck, when the Pokémon accidentally knocked off his Water Stone Pendant with a Water Gun attack. The fragile shard had knocked off and broken apart when it smacked against a tree. With it gone, Ranma's curse once again activated itself. 

**_SPLASH!_**

Ranma-chan frowned a bit after Sam dumped a bucket of cold water on her. 

"That's absolutely incredible!" Ia remarked. "It's like watching a Pokémon evolve!" 

**_FSSSSSSHHHH!_**

Jeanette poured some hot water on Ranma-chan from the kettle that had been heating on the fire. Ranma became a boy again. 

"And I find your story of being from another world also amazing!" Ia stated. 

**_SPLASH!_**

Sam dumped some more cold water on Ranma. 

"Then again, that does explain why I've never heard of the Anything Goes Martial Arts." 

**_FSSSSSSSSSHHHH!_**

More hot water from Jeanette. 

"And I always thought curses were just silly superstitions." 

**_SPLASH!_**

Ranma is male again. 

"Yeah, well I didn't believe it either until AFTER I fell into that cursed spring. Stupid oyaji. He just had to find that place, even though he couldn't speak or read a word of Chinese." Ranma snorted at the memory of his idiotic father. 

---------- 

On Ranma's birth world... 

"ACHOO!" 

Guess who just sneezed again? 

---------- 

**_FSSSSSSSHHHHH!_**

"This is fun, no matter how many times we do this." Jeanette remarked. 

**_SPLASH!_**

"Are you sure those things are real?" Sam asked as she poked one of Ranma-chan's breasts. She was slightly jealous that Ranma's cursed form had a more fuller bosom than her own. She stared down at her own chest. 

**_FSSSSSSSHHHH!_**

"WILL YOU TWO CUT THAT OUT?!" Ranma shouted after being doused for the umpteenth time. At the same time, Raiden came to his master's side and his cheek pouches crackled, warning the girls that tormenting Ranma was not something to be tolerated. 

"Pikachu!" 

Sam and Jeanette slowly put down the bucket and teakettle and nodded while backing away a bit. 

"Sorry about that Ranma, but it's just so... weird." Sam said. 

"Yeah, it's really something that you don't see every day." Jeanette said. "I mean, we've all seen Pokémon evolve, but this is the first time we've ever seen a human change like that." 

"Hey, it's no big deal." Ranma stated. "No matter which form I'm in, I'm still Ranma. Though I prefer to keep my other side a secret, okay? It's really embarrassing, and if anyone else were to find out it or the fact that I'm from another dimension, then every scientist in this world would be after me. I ain't going to be nobody's guinea pig, got that?" 

"I can understand that." Ia said. "Though it is something to get used to." 

Both Sam and Jeanette both nodded, not wanting to be outdone by Koga's sister. 

Ranma waved it off. "Ah, once I get another Water Stone, then you won't have to worry about getting used to my curse." 

"Well, that might be a bit of a problem." Sam said. 

"What do you mean? All I need is a small chip to keep my curse in check and..." 

"I think what Sam is trying to say is that Water Stones, even small fragments, are really expensive!" Jeanette replied. 

"Yes, and you have to make certain that you get a good quality stone." Ia added. "Cheap Water Stones have been known to cause very poor evolutions for Pokémon and who knows what a bad stone could do to you." 

"But.." 

"I'm sorry Ranma, but that's how it goes. Although, you're problem isn't so bad." The ninja girl said with some sympathy. 

"Yeah, I think it's kind of cool that you can change into a girl." Sam said. 

Ranma shook his head sadly. Things were going to get were going to get complicated. 

---------- 

The next day... 

"I'm here to challenge the gym leader." Ranma said as he and the girls stood at the front gate of the Violet City Gym. Perched on his shoulder was Raiden. 

"Oh, then you want Faulkner." One of the gym's aides remarked as he led the group toward an elevator. "You're in luck. He's on the top floor with his Pokémon. So all of you want to challenge him?" 

"Well, I'm Sam Ryker, the Gym Leader from the Indigo League at Veridian City." Sam said as she showed him her Earth Badge. 

"I'm from the Crimson City Gym and Dojo. My name is Jeanette Fisher." Jeanette said as held up her mother's Rising Sun Badge. "My mother is the Gym Leader and she told me that her badge is good for one Johto League badge." 

"And I'm from the Fuchsia Gym. My brother Koga is the Gym Leader." Ia held up her Soul Badge. 

The aide nodded as he checked records on a hand-held computer. "Yes, it all works out. The Gym Leader from Veridian doesn't have to collect eight Johto badges, and the other two girls only have to collect seven more." He then turned to Ranma. "What about you, friend?" 

"Sorry, I'm just a ordinary trainer. Guess I'm going to have to earn all eight badges." 

"It's just as well." The aide said as the elevator stopped at the top floor. "Faulker would had his hands full if he had to take you all on. Unless you all WANT to challenge him for a Zephyr Badge. Uh, do you?" 

The three girls looked at one another in consideration, then back at Ranma and the aide. 

"Well..." Ia said slowly, then shook her head. "No, it wouldn't be fair if we all challenged him. His Pokémon are probably going to be too tired to battle if we went one after another." 

"Yes, and we are in a bit of a hurry." Jeanette added. "It would be best if Ranma was the only one to challenge the Gym Leader. Ia and me already have the equivalent to one Johto badge." 

"By the way. Does this Gym Leader have good insurance on his gym?" Sam asked. 

The aide looked at Sam with puzzlement. "Huh? Why do you ask?" 

Sam gave him a slight grin while glancing at Ranma. "Oh... no reason." 

The group then waked out of the elevator and came onto an open area which was at the top of the tower of the Violet City Gym. There they saw a young man giving his instructions to a Hoot Hoot. 

Ranma smiled as he took out his Pokédex. 

*HOOT HOOT, THE OWL POKÉMON. THIS POKÉMON OFTEN STANDS ON ONE LEG AND HAS AMAZING PSYCHIC POWERS. IT IS ABLE TO CREATE CONVINCING ILLUSIONS AND ITS ATTACKS INCLUDE HYPNOSIS AND CONFUSION.* 

Faulker nodded as he saw the group approach. "Welcome to the Violet City Gym people. I'm Faulker, the Gym Leader. So who's here to challenge me for a Zephyr Badge?" 

"I am." Ranma replied as he stepped forward. Raiden lightly hopped off his shoulder and stepped forward as well. 

"All right friend, let's battle!" 

Ranma nodded as he went over to the other side of the battle field. Faulkner nodded as he addressed his opponent. "So what's your name, friend?" 

Ranma shrugged as he replied. "Well, I'm nobody special. I'll tell you later after I win that Zephyr Badge." 

Faulkner took a long look at the challenger and something told him to really watch out for this guy. "You sound pretty sure about yourself. Okay... we'll have a three on three Pokémon battle. I suppose you'll be using that Pikachu up first?" The trainer of Bird Pokémon was quite aware of how vulnerable flying type Pokémon were against electric attacks and had been working on countering such measures. 

Ranma looked over his side at Raiden. The electric mouse shrugged and gave him a signal that he wouldn't mind letting one of the others go first. He then addressed his opponent again. "Actually, I'm going to be starting off with someone else." 

On the sidelines, Ia glanced to over to Sam and Jeanette. "Why didn't Ranma tell Faulkner his name?" 

Sam answered. "Well, Ranma has been getting more and more publicity and that's been working against him. Remember his battle with you and your brother? Both of you prepared for him and that made things even harder for him to win. I think he's working on a new kind of strategy. Let's see what he's got planned." 

On the battle field, Ranma held out a Pokéball. "I've heard that you specialize in Bird Pokémon and that you train them to overcome their weaknesses. Well let's see just how well your Pokémon can stand up to mine! Razor, I choose you!" 

The Pokéball opened up to reveal Ranma's Sandslash. 

"Slash!" Razor took a ready stance. He had fully recovered from his bout with Koga's Golbat and had been training to improve his midair combat techniques. 

Faulker looked down at the Sandslash and snorted. "Not a bad choice. But that won't mean squat against this! Go Fearow!" 

The Pokéball opened to reveal the evolved form of a Spearow. Ranma nodded as he assessed the Fearow's overall power. It was certainly well- trained and probably at a very high level. 

"Let start things off with a Mud Slap, Fearow!" Faulkner called out. 

The large bird cawed as it swooped down and flapped its wings together, letting loose with a clods of dirt and soil. Razor dived to the side to avoid a direct hit, but some of that dirt and mud got into his eyes. 

Ranma frowned as he checked his Pokédex. 

*FEAROW'S ATTACK, NUMBER THREE; MUD SLAP. BY USING ITS WINGS TO KICK UP DIRT AND MUD, IT IS ABLE TO TEMPORARILY BLIND ITS OPPONENT AND THEN DIVE DOWN TO ATTACK.* 

Sure enough, as Razor was trying to wipe his eyes clear, the Fearow dived down to finish him off. 

"Okay Fearow, let's take it down! Drill Peck Attack!" 

As Ranma saw the bird hurtle down at his Sandslash while making its beak spin like a drill, he smiled as he waited for the Pokémon to be committed to the move. When the attack was about to hit home, he called out to Razor. 

"RAZOR! MANEUVER TWELVE!" 

After being defeated by Koga's Goldbat, Ranma had been giving Razor special training to improve on his agility and evasion skills. They had worked out twelve new moves, each coded with a number to keep the opponent guessing. As soon as the Sandslash heard the command, he ignored the irritation in his eyes and automatically executed a backward flip. He leaped over the Drill Peck and landed on the neck of the Fearow near its head. With his lower legs gripped tightly to keep him from falling, the armored mouse had a chokehold on his opponent. 

"FEAROW! LOOK OUT!" 

"RAZOR! FURY SWIPES!" 

"SANDSLASH!" 

The Fearow had no way of defending against the attack as Razor began delivering a barrage of slashes with his front claws to the bird's head. In ten seconds, the mouse delivered more than sixty swipes which caused the Fearow to lose consciousness. It plummeted down to the ground and landed hard. Razor got off his perch before it crashed and did a tuck-and-roll to avoid injury. After wiping his eyes clear, he then stood up with both his front paws raised in victory. 

"SLASH!" 

On the sidelines, Faulkner's cheering section began chanting, urging Fearow to get back up. 

"Let's go Fearow! Let's go Fearow! Let's go Fearow!" 

However, Fearow was not going to get up any time soon. Faulkner nodded as he recalled his Pokémon. "You did good, Fearow. There's no shame in losing to something like that." He looked back up to his opponent. "That was quite an attack. I'm impressed. I thought for sure that a Ground-type Pokémon wouldn't be able to bring down a Flying-type. But let's see if your Sandslash can hold up against this! Go, Dotrio!" 

The second Pokéball opened up and the three-headed, evolved form of a Doduo appeared. 

"Ranma's got this one in the bag!" Ia commented. "Doduo and Dotrio can't fly. Razor shouldn't have any problems taking down Dotrio." 

"I don't know..." Sam said. "Faulkner is an experienced Gym Leader. He wouldn't have brought out Dotrio if he didn't have some kind of strategy against Ranma's Sandslash." 

On the battlefield, Razor and Dotrio faced each other off. Faulkner addressed Ranma. "Now if you think you've got the advantage against my Dotrio because it can't fly, then think again!" 

"You mean it can fly?" Ranma asked. 

"You'll find out! Dotrio!" 

The three-headed bird cawed and took off, literally! 

The girls gasped as they saw the wingless wonder take to the air. 

"Look at that! Faulkner trained his Dotrio to jump really high!" Sam exclaimed. "It's almost as if it can fly!" 

Ranma gave a low whistle. "Not bad!" He then gave Razor his next command. "RAZOR! NUMBER NINE!" 

"Slash!" 

In an instant, the Sandslash also leapt high, astounding Faulkner and his followers. 

"You're not the only who taught his Pokémon how to jump!" 

Razor and Dotrio met in the air and began delivering strikes at each other. With three beaks, Dotrio could peck at three times as much as Fearow could. However, Razor held his own by blocking and slashing with the long claws on his front legs. He was also more experienced with midair, close-combat than Dotrio. When he saw his opening, he got inside of Dotrio's defense, lashed out with a lower leg and the kick connected with the bird's midsection, driving the breath out of it. Dotrio landed hard on its side as Razor dived down after it. 

"DOTRIO! TRI-ATTACK!" 

"RAZOR! BUZZSAW BARRAGE!" 

Razor curled up into a ball and started spinning rapidly. At the same time, the three heads of the Dotrio began screeching as they formed their energy attack. They launched the blast which hit Razor hard as he came spinning down. Ranma winced as he realized that Faulkner's Dotrio was at a much higher level than he expected. However, Razor's attack still hit home, knocking Dotrio down for the count. However, just as he stopped spinning, one of Dotrio's heads went and got in one last Peck Attack, jamming its beak into the Sandslash's unprotected underbelly. 

"Slash!" 

"Razor!" 

"Dotrio!" 

Both Pokémon stared at each other, both exhausted from their attacks. There was a long moment of silence as everyone waited. Then, at the same time, Razor collapsed to the floor as The third head of Dotrio lost consciousness. 

"A double KO!" Ia exclaimed. 

Faulkner took a deep breath and nodded as he recalled his Pokémon. "Good work, Dotrio. You didn't win that match, but you didn't lose either." 

Ranma ran up to his Sandslash and cradled him in his arms. "Are you okay?" 

The Sandslash opened his eyes and gave his trainer a weak response. "Sand slash." 

"Good work, Razor. You did all right. The Gym Leader's down to one Pokémon now, thanks to you. You deserve a good rest." 

---------- 

After recalling his Pokémon into its Pokéball, Ranma once again faced off against Faulkner. "Let's get this over with!" 

"I like your attitude friend. You trained your Pokémon well! But the game's over now! I'm choosing my strongest Pokémon! Go... PIDGEOT!" 

Ranma frowned as he took out his Pokédex. 

*PIDGEOT, THE BIRD POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIDGEOTTO. IT IS ABLE TO FLY AT TWICE THE SPEED OF SOUND AND CAN SOAR AT ALTITUDES OF ONE MILE.* 

_Oh boy! He could probably give Wind Rider a run for his money!_ Ranma then gestured to his Pikachu. 

Raiden nodded as he stepped up and powered up his electric sacs. A well-placed Thunderbolt would be all that was needed to win this match. 

However, Faulkner smiled as his Pidgeot spread its wings. "I had a feeling that you'd use that electric rodent sooner or later. Well if you think you've got me beat, then think again! I taught my Pidgeot a new little trick! PIDGEOT, SECRET ATTACK!" 

"Pidgot." The bird suddenly took off like a rocket, breaking the sound barrier and causing a sonic boom. This caught everyone off guard as the detonation of sound rang through their eardrums. Raiden cleared his head and looked up. He saw the bird coming down on him from out of the sun, making it difficult to take aim. Just as Raiden was about to let loose with a Thunderbolt, the Pidgeot suddenly lit up like a camera's flashbulb. Since it was already diving from out of the sun's light, the added brightness was staggering. 

"Pika!" Raiden was effectively blinded by the unexpected maneuver, which left him vulnerable for about two seconds. 

Two seconds was all that Pidgeot needed as it sped down with its Quick Attack. At its already high level, the attack hit home with devastating results. Raiden went flying and fell back on the tarmac hard. The Pidgeot wasted no time in finishing the job as it then swept up a huge Gust Attack. 

This sent Raiden flying back up. The Pikachu knew that he was in trouble, but still refused to give up. As he was airborne, he let loose with a sizzling bolt of electricity, but with his eyes still seeing spots, his shot went wide. He came crashing back down on the tarmac as Pidgeot delivered another Quick Attack. Ranma ran up to him as the bird pulled up and then flew back to its master. 

"Raiden! Are you okay?" He cradled the injured Pokémon in his arms. 

"Pika... pika!" The electric mouse shook his head, indicating that he was still raring to go. He was all set to give that bird a taste of ki. That was when he cried out in pain as he put some weight on his right hind leg. 

Ranma however, knew when his Pokémon had reached his limits. He saw that Raiden had injured his leg when he landed on the tarmac. A large bruise was now forming, which would hamper Raiden's movements. The fight was over for him. "Shhhh.... it's all right Raiden. It's okay." 

"Pika!" Raiden refused to accept defeat. 

However, winning a battle was not as important as the safety of his Pokémon. Besides Jeanette, Sam and Ia, his Pokémon were the only friends that he had. "Shhhh... it's okay, Raiden. You did all you could. We both lost. We underestimated that Pidgeot. Please Raiden... it's over." 

Raiden winced as he felt the pain creeping up his leg. He sighed and nodded as his master picked him up and carried him off the battle area. 

On the sidelines, Ia, Sam and Jeanette were in a state of shock. 

"I... don't believe it! Raiden lost on the first try!" Sam exclaimed. She had never seen that Pokémon ever lose so badly. 

"It happens, even to the best of us." Ranma commented off-handedly as he walked toward them and gently handed his Pikachu to Jeanette. "Take care of him until we get to a Pokémon Center. I've got a Zephyr Badge to win!" 

He walked back to the battle arena and nodded to Faulkner. "Not a bad trick. You taught your Pidgeot how to do a Flash Attack. Having him dive out of the sun while doing it caught Raiden off guard." 

"Thanks. I call that attack the Solar Flash. I got inspired to make up new versions of normal attacks after hearing about a trainer named Ranma Saotome. Maybe you've heard of him?" 

Ranma gave his opponent a whimsical smile. "I've... heard of him." 

"Well friend, looks like we're BOTH down to our last Pokémon! And unless you've got a flying type, my Pidgeot is going to win!" 

The martial artist and Pokémon trainer weighed his options carefully. Faulkner had a point. Despite the fact that midair combat was the specialty of the Saotome School of the Anything Goes, most of Ranma's Pokémon were non-flying types. The Pidgeot had the advantage of aerial supremacy and overall speed. Ranma had only one flying type. He could only hope that Wind Rider's experience and power levels were high enough to beat his evolved form, which happened to be very well-trained and may have a few surprises that he didn't know yet. With his special ki abilities and a little luck, Wind Rider MIGHT be able to win. 

Ranma nodded as he took out Wind Rider's Pokéball. "WIND RIDER! I CHOOSE YOU!" 

The Pokéball popped open to release Ranma's bird. 

"Pidgooo!" 

Faulkner chuckled a bit. "So you DO have a flying type. Not bad! But if you think your Pidgeotto can stand up to its evolved form, then you're mistaken!" 

"We'll just see about that!" 

"PIDGEOT! GO!" 

"WIND RIDER! GO!" 

At that moment, a sudden explosion was heard above as a large object suddenly appeared above every one. Every one gasped as they saw the object split into two and instantly homed in on Pidgeot and Ranma's Pidgeotto. 

Both birds squawked as they found themselves ensnared inside two large nets. They were then hauled up as their trainers watched in shock. 

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! LOOK AT US!" 

"WE GOT TWO BIRDS WITH ONE SHOT! THE BOSS IS GOING TO BE PLEASED!" 

"Hey! Come back here with my Pidgeot!" Faulkner cried out as he and Ranma began running after their Pokémon. Above the captive birds, a helicopter clattered in the air as two figures stepped out to stand in triumph in the open side door. One was a female with long red hair and the other was a short, blonde-haired male. Both were dressed in the Team Rocket uniforms. 

"Prepare for trouble!" 

"And make it double!" 

Ranma groaned. _Don't these guys EVER take a vacation?!"_

"To bring the world down with devastation!" 

"To put fright in people in every nation!" 

"YEAH, YEAH, I KNOW! TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" Ranma shouted with annoyance as he took out Sea Storm's Pokéball. 

"Uh?" The male half of Team Rocket said. 

"No we're not!" The other replied. 

"YES YOU ARE! SEA STORM! HYPER BEAM!" 

The Golduck appeared and focused his power at the helicopter. From the jewel on his forehead, the Water Pokémon shot out a massive, yellow beam of energy at them. 

**_KABOOM!_**

Both Team Rocket members were sent flying as the craft exploded. 

"He didn't even let us finish." The male Rocket member said. 

"Well, he was right though... " The girl replied. 

Both crooks then shouted as they soared off into the distance. "LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" 

(For those of you who were wondering, these particular Team Rocket members will have to remain anonymous. But if you want you can call them John and Doe) 

Both birds were set free as the nets loosened. However, Ranma's strategy to free the Pokémon had some mixed results. The wreckage of the helicopter began falling... toward the tower. 

Ranma had a really big sweatdrop as he said. "Okay... so that wasn't exactly the smartest thing. TAKE COVER!" 

The falling helicopter slammed into one side of the tower some eighty feet above the ground. Several of the main support pylons were smashed with the impact, causing the entire tower to tremble. Then, the structure began to list to one side, causing the entire gym floor to tremble and tilt. Ranma and the others were knocked off their feet and began sliding toward the edge. 

Jeanette immediately released her Scyther, which dug into the tarmac with its sword arms. Sam and Ia immediately grabbed onto Jeanette as she held onto her Pokémon for support. In Jeanetee's other arm, Raiden clung desperately. 

Faulkner's staff immediately grabbed hold of railings and such to keep them from sliding. Faulkner however couldn't get a secure grip and slid down toward the edge. Luckily, Ranma had managed to get a hold of a pipe that was jutting out. With his other hand, he reached out and grabbed the Gym Leader by the back of his shirt. 

Both Pidgeot and Wind Rider swooped down to assist as Sea Storm began focusing his power. The entire tower was surrounded with a thin blue light as the Golduck used all of his mental power to stop the tower from toppling. The structure began to slow, but it still would not stop. 

"FORGET ABOUT US, WIND RIDER! STOP THE TOWER FROM FALLING OVER!" Ranma called out. Looking down, he saw that there were crowds of people below that were scrambling away. He also knew that any people inside the tower would also perish if the tower was not righted. 

"YOU TOO, PIDGEOT!" Faulkner called out as he pointed to some cables that were dangling over the other side. 

Each bird grabbed hold of a cable with its talons and began hauling in the opposite direction. Their wings flapped furiously as they began using their Gust Techniques to increase their lifting power. 

"FEAROW! GIVE THEM A HAND!" Sam cried out as she tossed out one of her Pokéball's. Her own Bird Pokémon appeared and grabbed hold of another cable. 

Ranma then called out to Faulkner. "We need to brace the foundation! Can you get a hold of my Pokéballs?" 

"Huh?" 

With one hand holding onto the pipe and the other on Faulkner's shirt, Ranma couldn't really do anything as the tower began tilting even further. His Golduck was being pressed to his limit to keep the tower from falling apart and slowing its descent. 

"Get the third and fourth Pokéballs out and toss them to the ground! Hurry!" 

Faulkner grabbed onto Ranma's belt and pulled out both Pokéballs. He then activated the release buttons as he hurled them to the ground. Before they hit, they both popped open and released the martial artist's Rapidash and Machoke. Both landed easily and looked back up at the falling structure. 

"WILDFIRE! BRUISER! BRACE THE FOUNDATION!" Ranma called out. 

The Fire Horse bowed down his head and began pushing with his horn, while the Machoke dug in his heels and put his back up against the wall. However, this was still not enough as the building tilted even more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

Up on the other side, all three Bird Pokémon were flapping their wings furiously, but it was a losing battle. The cables strained and threatened to snap as the birds were being forced down. It looked as if this was the end. 

"Our Pokémon can't hold it! There's not enough lifting power!" Faulkner gritted his teeth. 

Ranma called back up to his Pidgeotto. "Wind Rider! I know you and the others can do it!" 

Wind Rider continued to strain, but the tower began to get even heavier. The bird saw that Sea Storm was weakening and losing concentration. Below, Wildfire and Bruiser were losing ground and sliding. With Raiden and Razor too injured to help, there seemed to be no way to keep the tower from crashing into the streets below. More lifting power was needed and it was needed... NOW! 

"PIDGOOOOOOOOO!!!" 

At that moment, the bird Pokémon suddenly was engulfed in a bright light. 

"What's going on?!" Ia shouted out in surprise. 

Jeanette gasped as she looked up. "Wind Rider... he's evolving!" 

Both Ranma and Faulkner gaped at the sight as Wind Rider suddenly became ten times larger and his wings were now about the size of a large hang glider's. His plumage became even more pronounced as an elaborate crest formed on the top of his head. 

"PIDGOOOO!" 

A stronger wind was swept up as Wind Rider... the Pidgeot began flapping with new intensity. 

"HOLY! HE'S EVEN BIGGER THAN MY PIDGEOT!" Faulkner cried out as he assessed the size of Ranma's bird. He estimated that Wind Rider's wingspan to be about a foot-and-a-half wider and its body was about two feet longer from beak to tail. 

The tower suddenly stiffened as it suddenly stopped in its descent. Then, slowly but surely, it began ascending. With the pressure of keeping it from falling eased off, Sea Storm was able to concentrate on keeping the entire structure intact. Below, Bruiser and Wildfire were able to regain their footing and continued to push. 

The building was righted back onto its foundations and managed to stay in place as its weight pressed down. Everyone, including the Pokémon, breathed a sigh of relief. The Golduck nearly fainted from his effort, but gave his trainer a thumbs-up. It was over. 

Ranma and Faulkner staggered to their feet and nodded as they staggered to their feet looked up into the sky. 

Both Pidgeot and Sam's Fearow were soaring at an altitude of half a mile, and did a flyby in victory as the trainers waved to them. Ranma could only gaze in wonder as he walked toward the edge. He stopped a few feet and waved to his new Pidgeot. It seemed that everything was all right. 

Unfortunately, it was not quite over yet as there was another explosion deep within the tower. A gas line had ruptured, causing the tower to shake again. This caused the section of the roof he was standing on to collapse beneath his feet. Ranma found himself plummeting toward the streets below. 

"WHOAAAAA! ARGH!" 

Normally, the martial artist would have controlled his fall, but a piece of exploding shrapnel impacted near his head, stunning him. Ranma was too dazed to right himself as he fell head-first toward the pavement. 

"RANMA!" All three girls cried out as they saw him fall. 

"Ranma?!" Faulkner said in surprise and shock. 

Wind Rider saw his master falling to his death and began a power dive to intercept him. However, he had been too high up when the explosion occurred. It would only be less than three seconds before Ranma impacted with the concrete. Even with his new body and speed, he wouldn't make it! But he had to try! 

Wind Rider began glowing as the battle aura appeared, forcing his newly evolved body to its limits. Ranma was only fifty feet away from death and the Pidgeot still had more than a hundred yards before he could catch up to him. 

"PIDGOOOO!!!" 

The bird Pokémon was suddenly enveloped in a nimbus of brilliance as he shot forward in a beam of light. Everyone was shaken by the sonic boom as Wind Rider passed by and caught up to Ranma when he was a mere fifteen feet from the ground. The trainer was swept up into that light as it made a sharp, ninety-degree turn and sped out over the ground, causing everyone and everything in its wake to shudder. Using his ki to dampen the G-forces on his master, Wind Rider was able to prevent Ranma's body from being torn apart by the sudden change in momentum and inertia. The bird then began to slow down as he ascertained that Ranma was safe in his talons. He gently came to a stop and laid Ranma on the street before setting down. 

Ranma groaned as he looked up and saw his Pidgeot standing before him, still glowing with its ki. 

"T-Thanks... Wind Rider..." 

"Pidgoo!" Wind Rider cawed and spread his wings. He had saved his trainer. However, it seemed that the intensity of the rescue had caused another unexpected consequence. Ranma's Pidgeot was again engulfed in a white light. 

"Huh?! Wind Rider, what's happening to you?!" 

Wind Rider was just as surprised as Ranma as it felt a new tingle that was like the sensation he had felt when he evolved to a Pidgeot. His wings became even broader and his plumage took on a darker sheen. The white light then changed to a pure blue color, which Ranma recognized as his Pokémon's ki energy. When the light faded away, the Jusenkyo-cursed Pokémon trainer could only stare in disbelief. 

_No way! I thought that the Pidgeot level was Wind Rider's final evolution!_

Wind Rider was big! He was now about the size of a small transit bus with talons that could crush a compact car. His wingspan was now the length of a jet fighter's. His plumage was ebony, with silver highlights on the crest and tail feathers. His beak and talons were a deep amber color. However, what caught Ranma's attention the most was the bird's eyes, which was a deep blue with no apparent irises or pupils. 

"PIDGOOO!!" 

Ranma held up his Pokédex. 

*POKÉMON SPECIES UNKNOWN. NO DATA AVAILABLE* 

---------- 

At the Pokémon Center... 

"WHAT?! You're saying that your Pidgeotto evolved into a new species?!" Prof. Oak gasped on the video phone. 

"See for yourself..." Ranma had a bandage wrapped over his head injury as he stepped aside to allow the Pokémon researcher to see Nurse Joy giving Wind Rider a check-up. Faulkner and the three girls were staring up in amazement on the other side of the large room. His other Pokémon were also staring up at their newly evolved comrade. They had all been treated and were at full strength. 

Since Wind Rider was now larger than even a Pidgeot, the Pokémon caretaker had to move him to a different area of the center. This was where Joy usually tended to Onix, Snorlax, Rhydon and other large Pokémon. Outside the center, reporters, trainers and researchers were pushing and shoving, trying to get into the center. However, Officer Jenny and her police forces were keeping them back. 

"Amazing! Absolutely incredible!" Oak remarked as he looked at the new, evolved form of the Pidgeot. "This is an unbelievable discovery!" 

"Yeah, well I'd rather NOT have those reporters after me right now." 

"Why is that, Ranma?" 

"Well, let's just say that I don't feel like answering questions right now." _Especially since I don't have my Water Stone any more and water always seems to find me._ "I don't even know how it happened." 

"I understand Ranma, but I would LOVE to study your... oh my! I don't even know what to call this new form of Bird Pokémon." 

"I guess since it evolved from a Pidgeot, then it's got to be Pidge... something." 

Oak thought about it for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "I have it! Please place your Pokédex into that slot and I'll update it with a new entry!" 

Ranma took out his Pokédex and inserted it into the computer outlet. A few minutes later, it came back out. Ranma opened it up and pointed it at Wind-Rider. 

*PIDGETON, THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIDGEOT. DISCOVERED BY TRAINER RANMA SAOTOME. FURTHER DATA UNAVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.* 

"Pidgeton, eh? Well, I guess that makes sense." Ranma shrugged as he put his Pokédex back into his pocket. 

"Ranma, I certainly hope that you will be sending Wind Rider to me soon! Can you imagine the research I could do on him?" Oak looked as if he was a kid in a candy shop as he continued to gaze at Ranma's Pokémon. 

Behind him, his new assistant Tracey Sketchit was busy with drawing a picture of the giant bird. "I'll say! I'm probably the first Pokémon Watcher to ever sketch a Pidgeton!" 

Ranma became even more nervous as he said, "Well, maybe someday soon, but right now I think it would be best for Wind Rider if he was given some time to adjust to his new body." 

Nurse Joy nodded as she approached the video phone. "I would have to agree, Professor Oak. With every new species of Pokémon, it must be given some time to adapt. I have completed the check-up and it seems to be fine, though I would recommend giving it a few weeks before trying any research tests on it." 

The scientist sighed with a bit of disappointment, but nodded. "All right, Nurse Joy." He then addressed Ranma. "Ranma, I still want to study your Pidgeton, but for the time being, I'll just let you handle the research. I've added a new function to your Pokédex, which will record any new attacks or abilities that Wind Rider has gained. I hope to hear from you soon!" 

"Sure thing Professor. Thanks!" 

Just as Ranma hung up, Tracey cried out. 

"Wait a minute! I'm not finished sketching...!" 

Ranma turned to Faulkner and the others as he held up his Pokéball. "Wind Rider? You ready to go?" 

The giant bird nodded. 

"Return!" 

After recalling his Pidgeton, he then addressed Faulkner. "I'm really sorry about your Gym and..." 

The Gym Leader shrugged as he waved it off. "Nah. It's okay. It wasn't your fault since you couldn't have known that helicopter would have crashed into the tower. Besides, I've got plenty of insurance, especially since I knew that the infamous Gym Destroyer would eventually come for a Zephyr Badge." 

Ranma could only laugh nervously while scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, well... I really hate that name and...oh! I forgot! We still have a match and..." 

Faulkner cut him off as he handed him a small, silvery object. "Here. You more than earned this Zephyr Badge." 

"But I didn't beat you and..." 

The Gym Leader cut him off again. "Anybody who could train his Pidgeotto to undergo two evolutions in one day, is more than worthy. Besides, I doubt my Pidgeot could stand up against ITS evolved form. So, do you think that mine could evolve into a Pidgeton too?" 

Ranma smiled as he took the badge and shook his opponent's hand. "If you keep training it to overcome every obstacle, then I'm sure that it will." 

"Until next time." 

"Yeah." 

---------- 

Ranma and his female companions evaded the reporters and trainers by sneaking out the back way. For once, Ranma found that his curse worked for him. After splashing himself with cold water, Ranma-chan, Ia, Jeanette and Sam made their way to the out city limits. After reheating some more water to change back, Ranma decided to give his new Pidgeton a test flight.. Wind Rider was released from his Pokéball. 

"Where's the next gym?" 

"Azalea Town. I hear that the Gym Leader there is a fan of Bug- Type Pokémon." Ia said. 

"Pigeot can fly at Mach 2, right? I wonder how fast and high you can fly, eh Wind Rider?" Ranma smiled up to his Pokémon. "Let's find out!" 

Ranma and Raiden leapt onto the Pidgeton's back. Ia, Sam and Jeanette joined him as there was more than enough room. 

Wind Rider let off a whoop as he took off. In less than ten seconds, he was already breaking the sound barrier as he glowed with an aura of blue. 

---------- 

A week later... 

"Well, THAT was easy!" As Ranma and the others were now soaring their way toward Golden Rod City. The Gym Leader Bugsy was a good trainer, but his Bug-Type Pokémon were no match against Ranma's Rapidash. 

---------- 

Flashback... 

"Ha ha! With my Scyther doing its Sword Dance, your Rapidash's flames can't touch it! I know just how vulnerable Bug Pokémon are to Fire-Types!" Bugsy proclaimed. Since he knew that Ranma's horse can't leap up and shoot flames down on top of his Pokémon like Ash Ketchum's Cyndaquil, his Scyther was invincible as it spun about like a top. 

"Not bad." Ranma admitted. "But, when your Scyther is spinning like that, it can't do anything else. And that makes it a sitting duck! BLAZING HORN CHARGE!" 

"Blazing... Horn Charge?" Bugsy gulped as Wildfire suddenly accelerated forward with horn glowing. 

**_WHABOOM!_**

Bugsy's Pokémon goes flying into the stratosphere as the Gym Leader looked up with one really big sweatdrop. 

End of flashback... 

---------- 

Bugsy had also faced off against Ia and Jeanette. With their own Bug Pokémon already experienced in martial arts, it was a clean sweep for the girls as well, and all three trainers had won a Hive Badge. 

---------- 

A day later, the group decided to camp out for the night as they were just a day away from Golden Rod City. At that time, Ranma had sent out his Golduck to fetch some fresh water as he and the others set up their tents. It was at that moment that he heard some voices that came from a nearby stream. 

"Hey look! It's a Golduck!" 

"Ooh! A chance like this doesn't come very often! I'm going to catch that Water Pokémon!" 

"Hey! I want to catch it, Misty!" 

Ranma started running when he heard this. Unfortunately, in his haste, he tripped over a tree root and fell face first into a puddle of water that had been left over from a previous rainfall. The evening air was a bit chilly, and Ranma's curse activated itself. Seeing that she had no time to change back, Ranma-chan got up and kept on running. Behind him, Raiden also ran toward the commotion. 

---------- 

"Tackle attack, Staryu!" Misty cried out as she threw her Pokéball. The giant starfish Pokémon came out and charged at Sea Storm. 

However, Sea Storm was no easy catch. With a simple gaze, he focused his mental powers and stopped Staryu in midair, then caused it to fly backward, slamming it against a tree. Misty's Pokémon slumped down. 

"Staryu!" Misty ran over to cradle her Pokémon in her arms. "Are you all right?" 

"Wow. That Golduck has a powerful Confusion Attack. " Brock commented as his friend Ash stepped up. 

"Now it's our turn, Pikachu! Water Pokémon are weak against Electric Types! Thunderbolt!" 

"Pika!' Ash's Pikachu let loose with a sizzling bolt that would have shocked Sea Storm silly... if it had hit. 

The evolved form of a Psyduck nimbly dodged the attack, then used his Confusion Attack to fling Pikachu away. He then stood and focused his power into the gem on his forehead. 

"Look out! He's going to fire a Hyper Beam!" Brock shouted. 

However, the Golduck stopped powering up when he heard a voice. 

"Sea Storm! Stop!" 

Ranma-chan came out from the forest and took a defensive stance. A moment later, Raiden came out and joined him as they faced off against Ash and his friends. 

To be continued.... 

Author's Notes 

Phew! I thought I'd never finish this part of Chapter 15! And now, we shall have the confrontation between Ranma Saotome and Ash! I don't want to give anything away, but it's going to be a doozy of an encounter. In any case, I hope you liked this part of chapter 15 and the brand new Pokémon that Ranma has now. There will be some more surprises next time as Ranma and company face off against Ash and his friends. See you there!


	16. Chapter 15, Part 2: Kindred Spirits

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: Please... not again! 

: Thoughts 

^^ ^^: Pokémon language 

Ranma-chan (Ranko): Ranma as a girl 

Note: This part of the story takes place just after the episode when Ash had just left the Golden Rod City radio station. 

**Chapter 15 **

Part 2 

Kindred Spirits 

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! This Golduck is mine!" Ranma-chan shouted as she took a stance against the people who were trying to catch her Golduck. Beside her, Sea Storm and Raiden also took battle stances as they prepared to fight off their opponents. 

At that moment, Ash, Brock and Misty stopped in their tracks as they saw the owner of the Golduck. And then it happened... 

The oldest member of their group got that funny look whenever he meets up with a pretty girl and Ranma's cursed form was no exception, especially since her curves put many older females to shame. As soon as he saw the well-formed Ranma-chan, he quickly ran up to her, gasped both of her hands in his own and leaned forward. 

"I must apologize for my friends' behavior! They should always check to see if a Pokémon belongs to someone before trying to battle and catch it. However, my _HEART_ is free and ready to be captured by you, beautiful one! So how's about we have a battle of love?" 

For Ranma-chan, there was only one response... 

**_WHAM! BASH! CRUNCH!_**

Jeanette, Ia and Sam arrived on the scene to see a very bruised and broken Brock in a tangled heap on the ground. Standing over him in a huff was a very irritated martial artist and Pokémon trainer. Beside her, Raiden and Sea Storm had very large sweatdrops on the backs of their heads. This had been the first time their master had been hit on. Of course, Ranma tended to hit back. 

---------- 

"We haven't seen you since Ash won that Soul Badge." Misty remarked as they were all sitting near the river and eating lunch. 

"Yes, it's been a while." Ia agreed. "So you're all heading toward the Johto League as well?" 

"That's right. I just won a badge from the Golden rod Gym." Ash replied, then turned to Jeanette. "I guess that you're also heading there. After the way you battled at the Indigo plateau, I'll bet that you'll do great in this league too." 

The daughter of the Gym Leader of Crimson City took a sip of tea. "Actually, I hadn't planned on entering the Johto League when I joined up with Ranma here, but when she decided to compete, then I thought that it would be a good idea." 

Sam and Ia immediately tensed up and Jeanette suddenly stiffened when she realized her mistake. Raiden and Sea Storm also became nervous. 

At the mention of Ranma's name, Brock, Misty and Ash gave a collective gasp and stared at the redhead. 

"Ranma?! You mean... you're Ranma?! The one who actually defeated _PRIMA?!_" Ash said with awe. 

"The trainer with the world's fastest Rapidash?!" Brock gulped. 

"The only Trainer to have won a Diamond Staryu Badge?!" Misty squeaked. 

Ranma-chan became very flustered as she hurried to cover up her companion's slip-up. She didn't want anyone to connect her real self with her alter-ego. She gave a nervous laugh and waved her hand. "Oh no! I'm not Ranma! Actually... my name is... er, uh... Ran... KO! That's it! My name is Ranko!" 

"But... Jeanette just called you Ranma." Ash insisted. 

Ranko quickly shook her head and gave another nervous laugh. "Oh, Jeanette has a bit of a habit of confusing me with my... er, _COUSIN_ Ranma." She looked at Jeanette with a slight glare. "ISN'T THAT RIGHT, Jeanette?" 

"Er... yes, that's it!" Jeanette said quickly. "I always get you two confused... er, Ran... KO." She gave a little laugh. 

"Actually, I'm just visiting my cousin while he's on his way to the Johto League." 

"So you're not Ranma?" Ash asked. 

"Nope. I'm just passing through actually." Ranko said quickly as she got up and bowed to everyone. "Well, I have to get going now, so it was nice meeting all of you. See ya!" 

With those words, Ranma-chan invoked the Saotome Final Attack... she ran. 

"Wait! I didn't get your phone number yet!" Brock cried out as he began chasing after her. However, Ranma-chan had already disappeared into the forest by the time the Pokémon Breeder had taken a few steps. 

"It's no use Brock." Ia called after him. "Once Ranko gets going, there's no way you could catch her." 

"Huh?" Brock turned around in confusion. 

Sam nodded. "Yeah... er, Ranko has a... bit of a habit of disappearing and we don't know when she'll show up again." 

Jeanette laughed nervously. "Yeah, she's always like that." 

Brock slumped down to his knees in disappointment, lamenting about his fiery, red-haired beauty, then brightened up as he realized that Ranma's three attractive companions were still there. He made an about face and began trying to charm them. 

"Excuse me girls, but would any of you be interested in joining me in a Pokémon Journey of love?" 

Ia, Jeanette and Sam had large sweatdrops on the backs of their heads while Ash and Misty could only shake their heads and sigh. 

"Here we go again." Misty commented as she held Togepi close to her. She then turned to her companion. "Say Ash, what do you think this Ranma person is like?" 

Ash shrugged as he replied, "I don't know Misty, but when I meet up with him, the first thing I'm going to do is challenge him to a battle!" 

---------- 

Meanwhile, Ash's Pikachu was having a conversation with Raiden and Sea Storm. 

"Pikachu?" ^^So what's your trainer like?^^ Ash's electric rodent noted that his fellow electric mouse was more buff than he was. 

Raiden shrugged as he adjusted his headband. "Chu, pi, pika, pikachu!" ^^Well, he's not exactly what we would call.... normal.^^ 

"Pi? Pika?" ^^What do you mean?^^ 

"Golduck, golduck." ^^What we mean is that he's... special.^^ The waterfowl said. 

"Pika? Pikachu?" ^^In what way?^^ 

Both Ranma's Pikachu and Golduck smiled as the electric rodent replied. "Pika, pika, chu, pi." ^^If we ever battle, then you'll see.^^ 

"Pika! Pika! Chu! Chu!" ^^Hey, don't underestimate me or my friends!^^ 

"Pi?" ^^Oh?^^ 

Pika! Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu!" ^^I'll have you know that I've been in both the Indigo League and the Orange League!^^ 

Both of Ranma's Pokémon nodded. 

"Golduck." ^^Impressive.^^ 

Pikachu nodded and smiled. "Pikachu, pi, pi, pi! Pika, pika, pika! Chu, pi, pi! Pikachu!" ^^We made it to the top sixteenths in the Indigo Plateau and we won the Orange League Championships!^^ 

Raiden nodded. "Pikachu. Pikachu. Pi, pi, pikachu?" ^^I can tell that you've been around. Got some experience too. So you're in the Johto League now?^^ 

"Pika! Pi?" ^^You bet! You too?^^ 

Both Pokémon nodded. 

"Golduck. Duck. Duck." ^^We've won two badges already.^^ 

Raiden then said, "Pikachu. Pika. Pi, pi, pi." ^^We hope to win a Plain Badge at Golden Rod City.^^ 

Pikachu nodded. "Pikachu! Pika, pika, pika!" ^^Good luck! That Whitney and her Miltank was no pushover!^^ 

"Golduck?" ^^Miltank?^^ 

"Pikachu! Pi, chu, pika, pika, pi, pikachu!" ^^It's got a rolling attack that will flatten you if you're not careful!^^ 

Raiden paused and thought about it for a moment, then turned to the water Pokémon. "Pikachu? Pi, pi? Pikachu? Pika, pi, chu." ^^Rolling attack, eh? What do you think? Sounds like Razor might have some competition.^^ Raiden remembered Razor's specialty, the Buzzsaw Barrage Attack. With his sharp quills spinning at more than 50,000 RPMs, the Sandslash could cut through even the thick shell of a Cloyster. 

"Pikachu?" ^^Who's Razor?^^ Inquired Ash's favorite Pokémon. 

"Golduck." ^^He's Ranma's Sandslash.^^ The evolved form of Psyduck replied, then turned back to Raiden. "Golduck, duck, golduck." ^^I think Razor's perfect for that Miltank.^^ 

Pikachu shrugged, remembering how hard it was to beat Whitney's strongest Pokémon. "Pikachu. Pika, pika, pi?" ^^If you say so. By the way, where is your trainer?^^ 

Sea Storm shrugged as he replied. "Duck, duck, golduck." ^^I'm sure that he'll show up any time now." 

---------- 

Sure enough, just a few dozen meters away, Ranma shivered after pouring the hot water over his head and transformed back. He had used his ki to heat up some water in a kettle and prepared to return to the others. He shuddered at the thought of meeting up with that lovesick Brock again, even though he was now male. He had heard of him from Ia and wondered if anyone could be as pathetic as Brock when it came to girls. 

---------- 

On Ranma's Earth... 

"ACHOO!" 

A certain kendoist wondered just where that sneeze had come from. 

(Sorry, couldn't resist!) 

---------- 

Back on the Pokémon World... 

"Hey, guys! What's up?" 

Everyone turned to see Ranma emerge from the forest. Raiden immediately went to his master and leapt up to perch on his right shoulder. Sea Storm also went to Ranma as Ash, Brock and Misty got their first look at the only Pokémon Trainer to have ever defeated Prima. 

"Ranma! It's about time you joined us!" Sam exclaimed as she and the others stood up. 

Ash became very excited as he ran up to him. "So you're Ranma?" 

"Yeah... uh, my ... cousin Ranko just told me that we had some visitors, before she left. Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome." 

It was then that Ash got that funny look in his eyes that Brock and Misty knew so well. He then pointed at Ranma and said, "Ranma Saotome, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" 

"Uhhh... excuse me?" 

"You heard me! I want to battle you!" 

"Uh, well... all right. I guess my Pokémon can use some exercise. You're on. Let's make it interesting, okay?" 

"What do you mean?" Ash was ready to go as his Pikachu came up beside him, also eager to test out his skills. 

"You're Ash Ketchum, right?" The eleven-year-old boy nodded. "I've heard a lot about you from Jeanette and Ia. I also met up with Laura from the Big P Ranch and a few other people that know you. They all said some really good things about you. I'm impressed that you've been through all that stuff. I've only been a Pokémon Trainer for just several months. Compared to me, you're a veteran." 

"Gee, thanks." Ash scratched the back of his head while grinning sheepishly. Behind him, Misty and Brock could see his head swelling up. 

"I'd like to see your battling skills at their strongest, so... let's have a six-on-six battle." 

"A... six-on-six?" Everyone else gasped simultaneously. 

Ash was about to say something, when... 

"PREPARE FOR TROUBLE!" 

"AND MAKE IT DOUBLE!" 

Ranma sighed as he shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose. 

_I should have seen this one coming._

There was a huge rumbling noise as a gigantic machine suddenly came out from the sky and hovered to a stop front of the group. It was in the shape of a gigantic... Wheezing? 

_Okay... that's new._

"It's Team Rocket!" Ash exclaimed as he and his friends tensed up for the coming battle. Ranma's friends also prepared for trouble. (Sorry about the pun). 

Inside the cockpit of the huge robot, Jessie and James went through their usual spiel as their voices were transmitted over the loudspeakers. 

"TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM DEVASTATION!" 

"TO UNITE ALL PEOPLE WITHIN OUR NATION!" 

"TO DENOUNCE THE EVILS OF TRUTH AND LOVE!" 

"TO EXTEND..." 

Ranma held his head and shouted out. "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?! If I hear that motto just one more time then _I'LL_ be blasting off at the speed of light!" 

Team Rocket looked down and saw the frustrated martial artist. 

"Hey... haven't met with him before?" Jessie asked her partners. 

"I remember him back at Professor Oak's Lab." James recalled. 

"Yeah..." Meowth agreed as he got a good look at him. "Hey! He's the guy that the Boss wants so bad. He's offering a big reward for him and his Pokémon." 

"What a stroke of luck!" Jessie proclaimed. "Not only will today be the day that we'll get the twerp's Pikachu, but we'll also bring in a prize Trainer and his Pokémon!" 

"It looks like our ship has finally come in!" James agreed. 

"Yeah, after all those other times that it sunk!" The cat Pokémon remarked. 

On the ground, Ranma groaned as he recognized those voices. "Oh no... not those dopes again." 

"You've met with Team Rocket before?" Misty asked. 

"I've encountered a _LOT_ of Team Rockets, but this is the first time I had the same one come back!" Ranma growled as he motioned for his Pikachu and Golduck to stand down. "I'll handle this." He then stepped forward and called out to the giant Wheezing. "Listen up! Can we just skip the introductions and get to the part where I kick your cans? I've got a six-on-six match!" 

In the Wheezing, Jessie gave a shrill laugh. "Ha ha ha ha ha! You sound awfully confident! I'll have you know that this latest weapon of ours has been specially designed against all types of Pokémon!" 

"That's right! We had to scrimp and save to build it, but it was worth every penny!" James added. 

Meowth nodded. "Our Wonder-Wheezing happens to be shockproof, fireproof, watertight, ice-resistant and has a reflective coating to protect us against psychic attacks!" 

_Wonder-Wheezing? Oh give me a break._ "Uh huh. Whatever." Ranma took a stance. "You want me and my Pokémon? You're going to have to take me out first." 

Team Rocket laughed as Meowth began pushing some buttons. 

"Ha ha ha ha! This is going to be easy!" The Pokémon sneered. "Wonder-Wheezing Smog Attack!" 

The mouth of the robot opened up and released a huge cloud of noxious gases. 

"Look out!" Ash cried out to Ranma. 

The Pokémon Trainer was about to order his Pikachu to attack, but Ranma waved him off as he faced off against his foes. "Don't bother, Ash." He then focused his ki while raising his arms in a kind of crane stance. He brought them down and a huge blast of wind was stirred up, blowing away the smog. 

Ash, Misty and Brock were stunned. 

"That... looked like a... Whirlwind attack!" Ash gasped. 

Sam shrugged. "Actually, he calls that his Hurricane Gust attack." 

---------- 

Team Rocket were quite surprised to see their attack blown away. 

"Huh? How did he do that?" Jessie asked. 

"Not bad." 

"Ah, it's only a trick! We've got other weapons to use!" Meowth assured. "Let's see if he can handle this Sludge attack!" 

The Pokémon activated another device and a large nozzle sprouted out from within the mouth and spewed out a brown liquid. 

---------- 

Ranma however, had been learning a few tricks from his companions' Pokémon as well as his own. He suddenly split into twin images of himself as the sludge splashed harmlessly between them. Suddenly, the Wonder-Wheezing was surrounded by multiple images of the martial artist. 

"That's a Double Team Attack!" Brock exclaimed. 

"Oh, that's right! Ranma's been sparring with my Scyther a lot." Jeanette hit the palm of her left hand with her right fist. 

---------- 

"Since _WHEN_ can a human do a Double Team?!" James said in awe. 

"Grrr." Meowth growled as he started spraying sludge all over. However, Ranma continued to taunt his adversaries from within the illusions. 

"Over here! Nope! Missed me! Try again! Close, but no cigar!" 

The machine continued to fire at him, splattering the ground with sludge, but not one shot connected. Eventually, it stopped firing as its stores of sludge was exhausted. 

"Uh oh! We've just ran out of sludge!" The cat Pokémon said as the gauges indicated that the tanks were empty. 

Ranma stopped with his Double Team and leapt high into the air. 

"Wow! He jumps even higher than Faulkner's Dodrio!" Misty remarked as her Togepi looked up in awe. 

Ranma landed on the top of the machine and pulled back a fist. 

"Your machine may be protected against special attacks, but I'm betting it's not punch-proof!" Ranma declared as his fist glowed with light. 

---------- 

"Ranma can do a Mega-Punch?!" Ash was now beyond stunned as he and the others watched Ranma's fist come crashing down on the metal skin of the Wonder-Wheezing. 

"Looks like training with Bruiser has paid off." Ia said. 

---------- 

**_KRA-KOOM!_**

The outer hull of Team Rocket's machine buckled as the fist caused a huge dent and caved in several key components. The entire weapon shuddered from the impact as fragile circuits started sparking. Ranma leapt off and decided to finish the job with style. He leapt up again and began winding up his right arm like a baseball pitcher about to throw a fastball. 

---------- 

Inside of the Wonder-Wheezing, Team Rocket were coughing and panicking as their control panels began shorting out. It was then that Jessie saw Ranma leaping at them through one of the TV monitors. 

"James... Meowth... doesn't that look like...?" 

"A... Dynamic Punch?" James squeaked. 

"This is a total disaster!" Meowth cried out. 

At that moment, a certain Pokémon popped out of its ball. 

"WOBBA... FETT!" 

"We already have one disaster! We don't _NEED_ another!" Jessie screamed as she saw Ranma about to deliver the final blow. 

**_WHABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!_**

Ranma's Dynamic Punch hit home and blasted out all of the TV monitors and controls. The Wonder-Wheezing was sent reeling back before blowing up. Guess who was sent into LEO? 

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" 

"WOBBA!" 

Ranma landed on the ground and took a relaxed stance. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Ash and said good-naturedly, "So, are you ready for our match?" 

Ash's jaw was gaping like the Grand Canyon. 

---------- 

Later... 

"You've got to tell me your secret! How did you do all those Pokémon attacks? And can you teach me?" 

The group were now sitting near a campfire and eating Brock's stew. It had been decided to wait until the next day for Ranma and Ash to have their match. Ranma's friends were conversing with Brock and Misty, while the martial artist and his soon-to-be opponent were sitting some distance away. 

"Well, the thing is," Ranma began. "I'm... still training myself as well as my Pokémon and friends, so I'm not ready to take on anyone else. Besides, it took me a _LONG_ time to even learn the basic moves that a Pokémon can do, and I've already been training as a martial artist for ten years." 

"Ten years?" 

"Yep. I started when I was five. I didn't get into becoming a Pokémon Trainer until several months ago. In a way, you've got more experience than I do. And all the moves that I can do, won't mean anything in a Pokémon Battle, right? It wouldn't be called a 'Pokémon' Battle if the Trainer does all the battling, right?" 

"I... guess. So you won't tell me how you did those attacks?" 

"Sorry. In any case, you really don't need to learn them, do you? It takes a _LOT_ of dedication and training in order to master even the simplest of moves. Basically, there are only two reasons why I trained myself to do Pokémon Attacks in the first place." 

"What are they?" Ash asked. 

"Well, you saw the first reason today. It helps improve my martial arts and martial arts is mainly for self-defense, especially when you're constantly being attacked by Team Rocket. I guess you'd know what that's like, eh?" 

"I'll say!" Ash agreed. 

"Now the second reason, is for the benefit of my Pokémon. I don't just train my Pokémon to get stronger, but I train _WITH_ them. I build up the trust between myself and them. I will not put my Pokémon through any kind of training that I myself wouldn't go through." _Not like Pops and that Neko Ken!_ "I guess you would know that it takes a great deal of responsibility to raise even one Pokémon." 

"I'll agree with you on that." Ash said. "Me and my Pokémon have gone through a lot, especially me and Pikachu." At that moment, Pikachu trotted up to the pair and then leapt up to Ash's shoulder. 

"Pika!" 

Ranma smiled as Raiden did the same. 

"You see, Ash? You've already gained a lot of trust between you and Pikachu, without having to go through the same kind of training that I went through. From what I've heard, you've got a _LOT_ of experience with Pokémon and how to be a good trainer. And I learned something from becoming a Trainer that you probably already knew." 

"Oh. What's that?" 

"Back before I became a trainer, I was only concerned with number one... myself. After I got my Trainer's License, I learned that others will depend on me for support and encouragement, mainly my Pokémon. I also learned that it's not a matter of winning at all costs, but more like bringing out the best in myself and my Pokémon. If they do their best, then I'll do my best." 

Ash smiled a bit as he looked at the Pokémon on his shoulder. "Well, I can promise you that Pikachu and I are going to do our best. Right, Pikachu?" 

"Pikachu!" 

Ranma couldn't but smile. "You know... you remind me of myself when I was your age; eager, confident and full of hope. You'll go far Ash. I know you will. So let's get some sleep okay? Tomorrow's going to be a big day." 

---------- 

The next day, early in the morning... 

"This will be a full, six-on-six battle." Brock declared. 

Sam nodded as she and Brock were the only Gym Leaders present. As such, they acted as referees. "Each Trainer will pit one Pokémon against each other at a time. The winner will be the Trainer who defeats all the Pokémon of his opponent." 

Standing in an open meadow, Ranma and Ash faced each other off. Watching from the sidelines were Misty, Jeanette, and Ia. 

On one side, Ash nodded as he prepared his Pokéballs. During the morning, he had stopped by a Pokémon Center, and called Professor Oak to transport one of the Pokémon he had left at the lab. Not knowing exactly which Pokémon Ranma had besides his Pikachu and Golduck, Ash had decided to go with one of his more powerful Pokémon, Snorlax. Moves such as its Mega Punch and Hyper Beam would be a great asset. Fortunately, it wasn't asleep at the time as he temporarily traded his Chikorita for it. He figured that one Grass Pokémon would be enough and Bulbasaur did have more experience. He would retrieve Chikorita as soon as the six-on-six match was over. 

On the other side, Ranma also prepared to throw out his first Pokéball as he motioned for Raiden to step back. 

"Trainers... ready..." Sam cried out. 

"Set..." Brock raised his arm. 

"BATTLE!" Both Gym Leaders cried out together. 

Both Trainers wound up and threw out their first Pokéballs. 

"I CHOOSE YOU! CYNDAQUIL!" Ash cried out. 

"GO, RAZOR!" Ranma shouted. 

Both devices opened up and released their Pokémon. 

Ash nodded as he saw that Ranma's Pokémon was a Sandslash. He was pretty certain that his flame Pokémon could beat it. After all, Cyndaquil had beaten one before when they had first met. Furthermore, Cyndaquil was able to light up its flame faster now. 

On the other side, Ranma looked at Ash's first choice. _Hmmm, Cyndaquil. I remember Professor Oak telling me about it when I worked at his lab. A Fire-Type..._

"USE YOUR FLAMETHROWER!" Ash called out. 

"Go for it, Razor!" Ranma cheered. Ash's Pokémon let loose with a scorching blast at its opponent, but Ranma's Sandslash was no slouch. Razor dodged out of the way and charged at the fire mouse. 

Cyndaquil continued to fire blast after blast, but Razor proved to be a lot faster than the previous Sandslash. Ash and his friends were quite amazed at its speed and evasion tactics. 

---------- 

"I've never seen a Sandslash move that quickly before." Misty remarked. "It looks like it's using an Agility Attack." 

"I'm not surprised." Ia commented. "Ranma has been training with Razor to improve its speed after he got the Soul Badge from my brother." 

---------- 

Ash was also impressed by the way Razor was dodging each of Cyndaquil's attacks. _Wow. That Sandslash's defense is just as good as Cyndaquil's... maybe faster._ "Cyndaquil! Use your Agility and Tackle!" 

Ranma kept silent however as he nodded to Razor, letting his Pokémon make his own decision. Razor, held up both arms in front of him to block the Fire Pokémon, then lashed out with a couple of Fury Swipes, sending Cyndaquil sprawling. A few more Fury Swipes with the front claws and the fire mouse found itself on the defensive. 

"BUZZSAW BARRAGE!" 

The Sandslash immediately curled up into a ball and starting spinning, cutting up the ground under it. Cyndaquil was caught off guard, before it could counter, and was knocked back. Rolling to a stop, it squeaked out its surrender. 

Sam raised up an arm. "Cyndaquil is unable to battle. Razor is the winner." 

Brock nodded. "Interesting. That Sandslash can do a Rolling Attack, just like Whitney's Miltank." 

---------- 

"Not bad, Ash. Your Cyndaquil put up a good fight, but it needs to work on its physical attacks." 

"Cyndaquil, return!" Ash then nodded to the Pokéball, before addressing his opponent. "I was kind of surprised that your Sandslash could do a Rolling Attack. But I KNOW how to beat that. Your Sandslash is also a Ground Type, so... TOTODILE! GO!" 

The second Pokéball was thrown and released the Water-Type. Ranma was unfamiliar with it and took out his Pokédex. 

*TOTODILE, THE BIG JAW POKÉMON. THIS POKÉMON HAS POWERFUL JAW MUSCLES AND TEETH. TRAINERS SHOULD BE CAREFUL WHEN HANDLING IT, BECAUSE IT LIKES TO USE BITE ATTACK. ITS WATER GUN ATTACK IS ESPECIALLY STRONG.* 

Ranma nodded as he called to his Pokémon. "Razor! Do you want to go on?" 

The Sandslash nodded as he charged his opponent. 

"Sandslash!" 

"TOTODILE, WATER GUN ATTACK!" 

Razor already knew the best way to deal with Water Attacks, which was not to be there. In an instant he dug into the ground and was burrowing like mad. The water stream passed harmlessly over him as he tunneled his way toward his opponent. 

The Water Pokémon looked about for its opponent, and was quite surprised when the ground beneath it began to shake. 

"Totodile! Look out!" Ash shouted. 

The Sandslash burst out from under the ground and sent Totodile flying. He then went into a Buzzsaw Barrage Attack toward where his adversary was going to land. 

Ash countered. "TOTODILE! WATER GUN ATTACK THE GROUND AND DIG SOME TRENCHES!" 

As it had done against Whitney's Miltank, the lizard flipped in the air and began using its Water Gun to create ditches in front of the Sandslash. Razor hit a depression at an angle. and was also sent flying upwards, as Totodile was about to give it a Water Gun at point-blank range. 

However, unlike other Sandslashes, Razor was NOT helpless in the air. He quickly uncurled and flipped over the water stream, ending up behind his opponent. 

"What...?!" Ash gasped as he saw his Pokémon miss its target. 

"ANYTHING GOES!" 

Totodile never knew what hit it as it was pummeled and kicked in several places in the space of a few seconds. Everyone gasped as the Sandslash knocked the stuffing out of the Totodile before ending the technique with a Seismic Toss. 

As the Water Pokémon landed on the ground, Razor landed beside it and raised its front paws in victory. 

"Totodile is unable battle." Sam declared. 

"B-B-But... how?" Ash exclaimed. 

Ranma shrugged. "Just because you know how to beat a Rolling Attack or something similar, doesn't mean that I can't think of a counter against it. One of the most important rules of martial arts is to never keep repeating your moves, or you're just inviting your opponent to figure out how to beat them. Still, if my Pokémon didn't know how to fight in midair, then you would've won that one." 

By now, Ash was beginning to see why Ranma had beaten Prima. He was unpredictable and his Pokémon could adapt very quickly. He would have to go all out. 

"Totodile, return!" Ash then took out his third Pokéball. "Let's see if your Sandslash can stand up to a Grass Type! I CHOOSE YOU, BULBASAUR!" 

Ranma winced. Aside from the Celadon Gym, he and his Pokémon didn't have that much experience against plant types. As he recalled, Sea Storm had won by pure dumb luck when he was a Psyduck. "Razor?" 

"Slash!" Razor was on a winning streak and wanted to continue. 

Ash then called out to his Bulbasaur. "RAZOR LEAF!" 

"Bulbasaur!" The Pokémon let loose with a flurry of the sharp projectiles. Though Razor managed to knock away the majority of the leaves with his front claws, a few managed to nick his sides. His skin was tough, but not that tough. 

"VINE WHIP ATTACK!" 

The Bulbasaur shot forward with its vines and Razor found himself hard-pressed to dodge. 

_Not bad._ Ranma thought. _Ash has figured out that the best way to fight Razor is from long-distance._ "RAZOR, ERUPTION BLAST!" 

"Slash!" The Pokémon slammed both front paws to the ground and sent a burst of ki though the soil. The ground around the Bulbasaur began to rumble, then suddenly sent exploded, sending the Grass-Type Pokémon into the air. 

"What the...?!" Ash gasped. 

"Bulba!" 

---------- 

"What was that?!" Brock gasped. 

"You can kind of think of it like a long-range, Vertical Fissure Attack." Sam explained. 

---------- 

Razor leapt high to finish off Bulbasaur, but Ash got his wits back and called out. "BULBASAUR! LEECH SEED!" 

A small pellet launched from the top of Bulbasaur's bulb and attached itself to Razor's extended paw. The seed extended its vines, wrapping it about the Sandslash's body. 

"RAZOR!" Ranma cried out as his Pokémon began to fall. 

The Sandslash began to have bad memories of Koga's Golbat as he felt his energy being drained away. He landed on the ground and struggled to free himself, but that was when Bulbasaur came down to finish off the fight. 

"SOLAR BEAM!" Ash commanded. 

"Bulbasaur!" The Pokémon began gathering solar energy from the dawn and a few seconds later, released a sizzling beam of light. The attack hit home and Razor was sent flying back. The Pokémon landed hard on his back as Ranma came running toward his fallen friend. 

"Razor! Are you okay?" 

The Sandslash weakly nodded his head. "Sand... slash." 

"You did great Razor. I'm proud of you. It's time for you to rest." Ranma then recalled his mouse into his Pokéball, then turned to Ash. 

---------- 

"Razor is unable to battle. This round goes to Ash!" Brock declared. 

"Looks like your friend is a good battler." Sam commented. "It takes a lot to beat Ranma's Pokémon." 

---------- 

"That was impressive Ash, but let's see if your Bulbasaur can handle my next one!" 

"Bring it on! We're ready!" Ash said. 

"Bulba!" 

"Okay..." Ranma then gestured down to his Pikachu. "Raiden, you're up!" 

"Pikachu!" 

Ash smiled. Grass-Type Pokémon had a big advantage against Electric Types. "Okay, Bulbasaur... let's take it down! RAZOR LEAF!" 

"Bulbasaur!" Once again, the Plant Pokémon let loose with a barrage of sharp leaves. 

However, Raiden was a _LOT_ faster than Razor and dodged every one of the leaves. As he came in close with his Agility and Quick Attacks, he landed several blows on Ash's Bulbasaur. 

"VINE WHIP!" Ash called out. 

The Bulbasaur shot out its vines to entangle Ranma's Pikachu, but... 

**_SNAG!_**

"Huh?!" Ash gasped as everyone, except Ranma looked on in awe. 

Raiden had caught both vines in his paws. 

Ranma smirked. "Not this time, Ash. Raiden... whip Bulbasaur's Vine Whip." 

Raiden yanked hard on the vines, pulling Bulbasaur off its feet. He then slammed his opponent repeatedly on the ground as Ash began to have flashbacks of his Pokémon receiving the same treatment at the Indigo Plateau. Jeanette's Bellsprout had done the exact same thing. 

Raiden then put Bulbasaur into an airplane spin before launching the Grass Pokémon high. He then leapt up after him. 

"BULBASAUR, LEECH SEED!" Ash cried out desperately. 

However, Bullbasaur was too dazed from the pounding Raiden had given to it, to act quickly enough. The electric rodent caught up to his opponent and... 

"ANYTHING GOES!" 

If Brock, Misty and Ash thought Razor's aerial specialty was fast, then they were totally stunned by Ranma's Pikachu. Raiden appeared to all like a yellow blur as he delivered a barrage of kicks and puches that ensured that when Bulbasaur came down, he wouldn't be getting back up soon. He decided not to use any electric shocks as it wouldn't have mattered. 

A bruised and battered Bulbasaur landed in front of Ash as Raiden came down in a ready stance. 

"Are you all right, Bulbasaur?" Ash asked with great concern. 

"Saur..." Bulbasaur nodded, though it was in no shape to go on. 

---------- 

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle. The score is now three-to-one for Ranma." Sam declared. 

---------- 

"You did great, Bulbasaur. Return." After recalling his Pokémon, Ash faced off against Ranma with a look of utter determination in his eyes, which matched the one in his opponent. 

"It's time to get serious, Ash." 

"You bet it is!" The boy looked down at his Pikachu. "It's time to get in there." 

"Pikachu!" The electric rodent came forward to face off against its counterpart. The two stared hard at each other. 

"Pika, pika, chu!" Raiden said slowly. ^^ I was hoping we'd battle against each other.^^ 

"Pikachu!" Ash's Pokémon replied. ^^Let's do it!^^ 

The scene freezes as the two Pokémon prepared to let loose with everything they got. 

To be continued... 

Author's Notes 

I know I'm a stinker for leaving you all hanging like this, but the rest of this match was so long, I had to break it off somewhere. In Ch.15 part 3, we shall see the end of this match. I don't want to give anything away, so we'll see you there! 


	17. Chapter 15, Part 3: Battle's End

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: So what do you want me to do about it? 

: Thoughts 

^^ ^^: Pokémon language 

**Chapter 15 **

Part 3 

Battle's End 

The two Pikachu faced each other off as they awaited for their masters to give their first commands. On one side was an electric rodent that has been through many battles and competed in two Pokémon championships. One might say that Pikachu was a veteran to Pokémon Battles. On the other side was its counterpart, who happened to be wearing a headband, was a bit more muscular, and had been trained in a unique style of fighting. This electric rodent had already taken out Pikachu's friend Bulbasaur, one of Ash's more seasoned fighters. Though Raiden had yet to compete in any Pokémon Leagues, he was no slouch when it came to combat. The two Pokémon eyes continued to stare at each other. Then... 

"PIKACHU! QUICK ATTACK!" 

Ash's favorite Pokémon sprang forward in a blur of yellow. However, Raiden quickly glanced to his master. Ranma simply nodded, indicating that the Pokémon was free to use any tactic. Raiden stood his ground as his opponent charged in, then at the last instant, swerved to the side while lashing out with his tail. The appendage sparked with power as it slammed into Pikachu's face, knocking it back. 

"PIKA!" 

Raiden took a defensive stance. 

"Pika. Pika, pika." ^^Not bad. Try again.^^ 

Pikachu shook its head as it got back to its feet. 

"Hang in there, Pikachu! Show Raiden how tough you are!" Ash cheered. "THUNDERBOLT ATTACK!" 

The mouse let loose with a sizzling bolt of electricity that would have lit up a building. However, Raiden focused his energy and stood his ground as the attack struck home. When it ended, Ranma's Pokémon was still standing. 

---------- 

"Whoa. Ranma's Pikachu took that attack and shrugged it off." Brock whistled. 

"Actually, I don't think Raiden even felt it." Sam remarked. 

---------- 

"Not bad Ash." Ranma nodded as he the addressed his Pikachu. "Okay Raiden. Show Pikachu what a real Thunderbolt Attack looks like." 

"PIKA!" Raiden's electric pouches sparked once, then let loose with a huge bolt that was a real wall-shaker. 

"Pikachu!" Raiden's opponent had to use every ounce of speed and agility it possessed to dodge. It winced a bit as the attack grazed one side and flashed by, scorching the ground and blasting a nearby tree, causing it to topple over into a smoking ruin. 

Pikachu had a big sweatdrop behind its head as it glanced at the damage that one attack had created. 

---------- 

"That was some electric attack." Misty commented in awe. 

Jeanette shrugged. "Actually, Raiden wasn't really trying that time." 

"What?!" 

"When Raiden really gets going, he makes a Raichu look like a dead car battery." 

---------- 

"Pikachu." ^^That was for openers.^^ Raiden then charged in with a speed that his opponent had rarely seen before. Pikachu tried to counter with its Agility, but that was when Raiden leapt high. Ash and his friends gasped at how high Raiden could jump as he powered up his energy and let loose with a Thunder Attack. Unfortunately for Pikachu, it was a tad too slow to dodge it completely. 

**_KRA-BOOM!_**

The ground trembled as random sparks and bolts went flying everywhere. The ground became blacker from the intense heat being given off. However, when Raiden landed after ending his attack, he was very surprised to see Pikachu still standing... on its tail. 

"Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash cheered. 

---------- 

"Impressive. Pikachu used its tail as a ground to dodge the electric attack." Ia commented. 

"Yes, but it looks like it didn't dodge it completely." Jeanette pointed out. 

---------- 

It was true. Though it avoided the brunt of the attack, Pikachu had still received a sizable amount of voltage when the attack spread out. It had felt as if it was battling Lt. Surge's Raichu all over again. Pikachu was a bit shaky as it got back to its feet. 

"Pikachu, pika." ^^I'm impressed.^^ Raiden admitted. "Pikachu." ^^Let's get serious!^^ Ranma's sparring partner then charged in with his Agility. 

Pikachu countered with its own as the two rodents darted at each other. However, Raiden had the advantage in close-quarters combat and Pikachu took several hits. When Ash's Pikachu tried to lash out with its tail charged with electricity, Raiden ducked, then countered with a sweep kick, knocking his opponent to the ground. 

---------- 

"It knows how to do a Low Kick?" Brock was more than dumbstruck. 

"Actually, that was a basic sweep kick." Sam said. 

---------- 

"Pikachu seems to be holding out well against Raiden." Ia observed. 

"So far." Jeanette agreed tentatively. "He did pretty well in the Indigo League, as I remember. Then again, it could be that Raiden is just testing out his opponent's skills. You _KNOW_ what he's like when he goes all out." 

"What do you mean?" Misty inquired. 

"I mean... that." The Crimson City trainer pointed with her index finger as Raiden had decided to up the ante. 

---------- 

"Don't give up, Pikachu! You can beat him!" Ash cheered on. "THUNDER ATTACK!" 

Pikachu darted back to get some more fighting room, jumped, then let loose with a massive blast of electricity. Raiden however, shrugged off that blast as well, though he did feel a bit unsteady for a moment. 

"Pika?!" ^^You're still standing?!^^ Pikachu couldn't believe that Raiden was withstanding every one of his attacks. It began to suspect that its opponent was really a Rock-type. 

"Pika, pika... pi." ^^That one... hurt.^^ Raiden admitted that Pikachu's last attack had some bite to it, and he should have dodged it. He could see how experienced his opponent was if it was able to generate that much voltage. Ranma's Pokémon decided that it was time to finish the match. Raising one paw up, he began focusing his power. He glowed with a thin blue aura, as his cheek pouches began sparking. Electrical energy started collecting above his paw as Raiden used his ki to condense the voltage into a large ball. 

---------- 

"Huh? Is that a Zap Cannon Attack?" Brock gasped. 

"No... it's something a _LOT_ worse." Sam replied. 

---------- 

"THUNDERBLAST BOMB!" Ranma shouted. 

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash cried out. 

Raiden leapt high again and threw out his attack like Nolan Ryan pitching a fastball. Ash's Pokémon managed to avoid a direct hit, but with Raiden's attack, even a near miss was devastating. The sphere of power exploded on the ground and sent electrical blasts like shrapnel. Several of those blasts caught Pikachu as he desperately tried to get away. However, it was at Raiden's mercy as he came down and lashed out with a flying kick. 

Pikachu was sent sprawling and rolled to a stop. It tried to bravely get back to its feet, but then collapsed. 

"Pikachu!" Ash ran up to his best friend and picked him up in his arms. "Are you okay?" 

Raiden stood in a neutral stance as he looked up at his fallen opponent. When Pikachu stirred, Ranma's Pokémon let off a sigh of relief. He had just used enough force to do the job and Pikachu would recover. 

"Pi... ka." 

"It's okay Pikachu. You did great." Ash said. 

"Pikachu, pikachu." Raiden said. 

Both Ash and his Pikachu looked down and saw Raiden giving the both of them a respectful bow. He then addressed his defeated opponent. "Pikachu, pika, pika." ^^You fought bravely, my friend. It was an honor.^^ 

With these words, Raiden trotted over to his master. Sam and the others noted that he was limping slightly, favoring his right forepaw. When he got to Ranma, he started addressing him with paw signals and words. After all this time with him, Ranma understood his Pokémon pretty well. 

"Pika, pikachu. Pi, pika! Pikachu! Pikachu! Pika, pi, pikachu." 

Ranma looked at his Pokémon strangely and wondered if he had misunderstood Raiden's message. "Are you sure?" 

"Pika." Raiden nodded while giving Ranma a wink. 

Ranma looked over to Ash and Pikachu, then smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." He then called out to Sam. "Sam! Raiden had just told me, that last attack of Pikachu's hurt him more than he thought. He can't battle any more today. He's calling this round a draw. Both him and Pikachu are out." 

"What?" Sam was confused. "But Raiden clearly won that round. The score is four-to-one in favor of you." 

Ranma shook his head. "If Raiden says he can't battle, then that's the same as a loss or in this case, a technical knockout. The score is four-to-two." 

Sam gazed at him for a long time, then nodded as she announced, "Raiden and Pikachu, both are unable to battle." 

Ash and Pikachu were struck dumb at this turn of events. Ranma however, took it in stride as he held out another Pokéball. In the meantime, Raiden went over to where Misty, Ia and Jeanette were and sat down beside them. 

Ash could only hand Pikachu over to Misty as he faced off against his opponent. 

---------- 

"Pokéball, go!" Both trainers cried out as the match resumed. 

"Neigh!" Wildfire reared on his hind legs as he prepared to battle. 

"Snorlax!" The gigantic Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball. 

"Uh oh." Ranma quickly took out his Pokédex. 

*SNORLAX, THE SLEEPY POKÉMON. SNORLAX IS EXTREMELY DURABLE AND IS AMONG THE HEAVIEST POKÉMON. THEY ARE ABLE TO EAT LARGE AMOUNTS OF FOOD AND SOME CAN WEIGH UP TO ONE THOUSAND POUNDS OR MORE.* 

_It's like a Pokémon Sumo Wrestler. Well, it may be strong, but Wildfire has the advantage in speed._ "WILDFIRE! SUPER FIRE SPIN!" 

The flame horse instantly put on the speed and began sprinting around his opponent, leaving huge trails of flames behind it. Soon the Snorlax was engulfed in a fiery column. However, there was a huge roar within that conflagration, and the flames suddenly exploded outward as Snorlax burst free from its superheated prison. Aside from a few minor burns, it was unharmed. 

"Great job, Snorlax!" Ash cheered. 

"FIRE WAVE STOMP!" 

The horse reared up, then brought both of its front hooves down on the ground. The earth trembled as twin fire blasts burned toward Wildfire's opponent. There was a massive explosion as the attacks hit home. Since Snorlax wasn't exactly built for speed, it couldn't dodge fast enough. The massive Pokémon was driven back several feet, but remained standing. 

_Whoa! It's like trying to bring down Godzilla!_ Ranma was impressed. 

"You're doing great, Snorlax!" Ash then gestured with a hand. "NOW, MEGA-PUNCH!" 

"COUNTER WITH FIRE KICKBACK!" 

The Snorlax charged. As it moved forward, it reared back with a fist, which glowed with a white light. At the same time, Wildfire turned around and lashed out with both hind legs. The hooves burned brightly with flames. 

**_BUH-WHOOM!_**

Both attacks hit hard as Wildfire felt Snorlax's fist slam into his back. At the same time, Snorlax felt an intense burning sensation on its chest. It was like having heartburn on the outside. Both Pokémon staggered back, but Snorlax's endurance was higher and it still had some fight left in it. As Wildfire stumbled, Snorlax readied for the final attack. 

"USE HYPER-BEAM NOW!" Ash cried out. 

Ranma winced as he saw The Snorlax take a deep breath to collect energy, then let loose with a huge, yellow-orange beam. 

"FLAME-AURA!" 

Wildfire had recently learned how to absorb energy attacks from Razor and pumped up his aura and flames to the maximum. However, it wasn't enough in his weakened condition and the Hyper-Beam overwhelmed him. Wildfire went down. 

When the beam faded away, Ranma immediately ran to his Pokémon's side. "Are you okay, buddy?" The flame horse gave a slight nod with his head, indicating that he would recover. Ranma breathed out a sigh of relief. "You did fine. You earned a good rest." 

---------- 

"Ranma's Rapidash is unable to battle." Brock declared. "Snorlax wins!" 

---------- 

"All right! It's four to three now, Ranma!" Ash said triumphantly. 

"You and your Pokémon have got spirit, Ash. I'll give you that." The pigtailed martial artist recalled his Rapidash. "Your Snorlax has a lot of muscle, but let's see if it can stand up to some mind power! Go Sea Storm!" 

"Golduck!" 

---------- 

"I'm interested to see how Ranma trains his Water Pokémon." Misty remarked as she admired the very fine-looking Golduck, and wished that her Psyduck would evolve. 

---------- 

Ash became a bit worried as the waterfowl Pokémon appeared. The last two Golducks he had seen were very powerful, especially the one he saw during his journey through the Orange Islands. However, Snorlax was a tough battler and was resistant to many attacks. If it could just hit fast and hard, Snorlax could win this one. He only knew of one attack that could do the job. 

"HYPER-BEAM SNORLAX!" 

The huge Pokémon began powering up again for another blast, but Sea Storm was quicker. His eyes glowed as he grabbed hold of his opponent with his Disable Attack. As Snorlax was frozen, the water Pokémon launched into a flying kick and slammed hard into Snorlax's head. Its belly may be able to absorb physical impacts, but its head was a different matter. 

Snorlax reeled back a bit as Sea Storm leapt back to get some distance. The kick had stunned his opponent momentarily, enabling the Golduck to power up for a final assault. The gem on his forehead glowed. As the Disable Attack wore off, Snorlax resumed powering up for a Hyper-Beam. 

"HYPER-BEAM, NOW!" Ash called out. 

"HYPER-BEAM!" Ranma called out. 

Both Pokémon let loose with massive beams of energy at each other. Both attacks collided head-on and for one brief moment, they seemed to be equally matched. However, Sea Storm's mental discipline was greater and an instant later, his beam overpowered Snorlax's, which caused a backlash to occur. Snorlax caught the impact of both its own beam and the Golduck's, which caused it to stagger back. Then the Golduck let loose with his strongest attack. 

"PSYCHIC TSUNAMI!" Ranma yelled. 

The Golduck let loose with a huge blue blast of psychic and ki energy which engulfed the massive Snorlax like a tidal wave, sending it back. The Pokémon crashed into a grove of trees and rolled to a stop. It tried to get back to its feet, but fell back down with a thunderous clamor. 

Ash gasped as he recalled his Pokémon, then said to the device. "You battled great Snorlax. You need a good nap after that." 

Sea Storm was breathing hard. He hadn't had to move something that massive since Violet City. He was exhausted both mentally and physically. Ranma walked up to his Pokémon and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"If you're too tired to battle, then I'll understand. That was a lot of Pokémon that you had to move. Do you want to stop?" 

Golduck almost began shaking his head, but Ranma patted the Pokémon's shoulder. "That will be enough Sea Storm. Ash only has one Pokémon left, so I'll let Wind Rider and Bruiser handle it. Good job." 

---------- 

"Ranma?" Sam called out. 

Ranma recalled his Golduck and said to her, "Sea Storm won, but he put too much of a strain on his psychic powers. He won't be battling any more." 

"All right, Ranma." Sam nodded then addressed the others. "The score is now five to four! Ash Ketchum has one Pokémon left. Ranma has two!" 

---------- 

Ranma was confident that his martial arts Pokémon would be able to take out whatever Pokémon Ash had left as he threw out the Pokéball. "Go Bruiser!" 

Unfortunately, Ash's last Pokémon happened to be a type in which Fighting-Type Pokémon had a natural weakness with. 

"Go Noctowl!" 

Ranma had never seen this Pokémon, so he took out his Pokédex. 

*NOCTOWL, THE EVOLVED FORM OF HOOT HOOT. NOCTOWL SPECIALIZES IN HYPNOSIS, CONFUSION AND OTHER PSYCHIC ATTACKS.* 

"Whoops." 

Even a talented trainer can mess up now and then. 

"HYPNOSIS ATTACK!" Ash cried out. 

In addition to being a psychic-type, Noctowl had the advantage of being able to fly. The bird soared high and blanketed the area with hypnotic waves. 

Brusier was unable to dodge and was soon under Noctowl's spell. Despite his valiant efforts to resist, the Machoke was unable to counter the attack with his opponent so high in the air. His feet began to buckle. 

"GUST ATTACK!" 

Noctowl let loose with a blast of wind, which made Bruiser even more disoriented. 

"NOW DIVE AND TACKLE!" 

In addition to being vulnerable to psychic attacks, Fighting-Types did have a weakness to air attacks as well. Bruiser could defend himself in mid-air combat, but Noctowl caught him on the ground as it slammed hard into his chest. Bruiser fell back and hit the ground hard. 

Ranma rushed up to his friend and cradled his head in his arms. "It's okay, Bruiser. It was my fault. You did what you could." 

"Ma... choke." 

Ranma nodded as he recalled his Pokémon. 

---------- 

"Not too shabby. Ash dominated that round." Ia remarked. "Ranma made a mistake of sending out Bruiser against a psychic and flying type." 

"He didn't know that Ash had a Noctowl." Jeanette said. "Then again, Ash did pretty well in the Indigo League and he's got a lot of experience." 

"Well now we'll see just what Wind Rider can do." 

"Wind Rider?" Misty asked. "What's a Wind Rider?" 

"Ranma's... secret weapon." Jeanette replied. "Even though he's newly evolved, Ash's Noctowl looks like a very tough battler and a powerful psychic-type as well." 

---------- 

"Well, we're tied Ranma!" Ash said with a smile. 

"That we are. Then I guess it's time." Ranma held out his last Pokéball. 

"My Noctowl is ready for anything!" 

"Well then... GO WIND RIDER!" 

The Pokéball popped open and released Ranma's final Pokémon. 

"PIDGOOOOO!" 

A huge gust of wind was stirred up as Wind Rider gave his huge wings a few practice flaps. Ash and his friends gasped as they got their first look at the evolved form of a Pidgeot. 

"What is that?" Ash took out his Pokédex, which had been recently updated after he had Snorlax transported. 

*PIDGETON, THE BIRD POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIDGEOT. DISCOVERED BY TRAINER RANMA SAOTOME. NO FURTHER DATA AVAILABLE.* 

---------- 

"An evolved Pidgeot?!" Brock gulped. 

Ranma nodded. "Yep. And now... WIND CANNON!" 

---------- 

"Wind Cannon?" Misty asked. 

"Think of it as really, really, _REALLY_ powerful Gust Attack." Ia replied. 

The ebony avian gave his wings one forward sweep and generated a gigantic blast of pressurized air. Noctowl was sent shooting off and was unable to fly against such a force. Then Wind Rider took to the air like a missile. 

Ash gathered his wits and called out to his Pokémon. "Hang in there, Noctowl! HYPNOSIS ATTACK!" 

The bird managed to right itself and let loose with a psychic attack. However, Ranma's Pokémon simply blinked once then slammed into Noctowl with a midair Tackle Attack. The smaller bird was sent spiraling downward as its opponent came around for another pass. 

---------- 

"Noctowl's psychic attack didn't affect it at all!" Brock gasped. 

"Well, if psychic attacks don't work on him, then Wind Rider must be a... Dark-Type Pokémon." Sam surmised. 

"Finish it off, Wind Rider! SONIC WING!" 

The dark flyer used its wings to generate another blast of pressurized air, but this time, the sudden movement caused a controlled sonic boom. This caused Noctowl to become totally disoriented and it began plummeting toward the ground like a stone. However, Wind Rider had decided that he had already won the match and dove down to save his opponent. Gently catching the Noctowl in his talons, he then glided gently down toward the ground. 

As soon as they landed safely, Wind Rider spread out his wings and let off a cry of victory. 

---------- 

"Noctowl is unable to battle. The winner is Ranma Saotome!" Sam declared as Ash ran up to his Pokémon. 

"Are you okay, Noctowl?" 

The bird let off a tired hoot, indicating that it would be all right. 

Ash nodded as he returned it to its Pokéball, then stood up to face off against his opponent. 

Ranma patted the wing of his Pidgeton, then walked up to Ash. Holding out a hand, he smiled and said, "Good match. I can see why you did well in the Indigo League and won the Orange League Championships." 

Ash clenched his fist at his sides, but decided that Ranma had won fair and square. He took Ranma's hand in his own and nodded. 

"It sure was a good match. I can see why you beat Prima." 

The two trainers acknowledged each other's skills and had won each other's respect. 

---------- 

Later... 

"It was a great battle and I hope we can do it again someday. Who knows? We may even face each other off at the Johto League." 

"If we do, I promise you that I'll give you a much tougher battle! I learned a lot today!" Ash said enthusiastically. The match had given the younger trainer new inspiration to train harder. As for Ranma, he was very pleased that someone so young had such experience. 

"I'm sure you will. Well, I guess it's time that we head on to Golden Rod City. I've got a Plain Badge to win." 

"Good luck against Whitney!" Ash said as he, Misty and Brock began to walk down the path that was in the direction of Ecrutek City. As the trio headed off, Brock called back to Ranma. 

"Ranma! The next time you see your cousin Ranko, ask her if she'd like to go out with me!" 

Ranma developed a large sweatdrop as he replied, "Er... yeah. Right." 

As Ranma and his friends waved farewell to Ash and his friends, Raiden easily leapt up and perched on his master's shoulder. 

The pigtailed trainer smirked as he noted how easily Raiden had moved. As he began walking toward the outskirts of Golden Rod City, he addressed his Pokémon in quiet, but teasing tone. Walking several meters behind him were the girls. 

"Why Raiden. I can see that your paw isn't hurting anymore." 

"Pika." The mouse gave his trainer an embarrassed shrug. 

"Admit it. You weren't _THAT_ hurt, were you?" 

Raiden was silent for a long while before nodding. "Pi." 

"I didn't think so. I've seen you take a _LOT_ worse." 

"Pikachu?" 

"Nah. I ain't mad at you for that." 

"Pi?" 

"Really. I think you made a good decision. Winning isn't everything." 

"Pika?" 

Ranma chuckled a bit at his Pokémon's bewilderment. "I guess it does sound strange for me to say that. Ash and Pokémon are a great team and I think that it was enough that they actually managed to hold out as long as they did. For me, it's not the victory, but the challenge that makes this journey worthwhile." 

"Pika!" Raiden nodded his head in agreement. The fact that Pikachu actually managed to hurt him, if only a little, was proof that Ash and his Pokémon were destined to go far. 

"This match has shown to me that we've got a long way to go, but as long as you and the others are with me, then we're going to make it." 

"Pikachu!" Raiden nuzzled his master as he and the others neared the edge of Golden Rod City. 

To be continued... 

Author's notes 

Well, the long-awaited match between Ranma and Ash now draws to a close. I know that many of you feel that Ranma's Pokémon should have made a clean sweep of the battle, but what would have been the point in that? This story, like all the others is to show how Ranma could change from the original series and I think that he is maturing and learning more responsibility as he continues on his Pokémon Journey. Winning at all costs is not an option anymore, since he is responsible for the well-being of his Pokémon. Furthermore, as time goes on, Ranma will see that there is more to life than just training and winning battles. And having friends that will always support him will make him even stronger. That's the real heart of this story and what makes it so enjoyable. 

In the next chapter, we will see the battle between Whitney and Ranma as well as a new surprise! See you there!" 


	18. Chapter 16: A Cut Above the Rest

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: Pokémon and Ranma are characters of someone else's imagination, so go bother them! 

: Thoughts 

**Chapter 16 **

A Cut Above the Rest 

"Well here we are." Ranma commented as he and his companions entered the busiest section of Golden Rod City. As always the metropolis was bustling with people and the streets were loaded with shops. 

"Wow! This is the first time I've been in Golden Rod City." Sam commented as her eyes glittered at the sight of all the things that were on sale. 

"At the last Pokémon Center, Mom called and told me to pick up a few things for her when we got here." Jeanette added. 

"I've been wanting to do a little shopping myself." Ia smiled as she saw a dress shop advertising a forty-percent discount on all purchases. 

"Come on, Ranma!" All three girls said as they grabbed hold of the martial artist's arms and dragged him toward the stores. 

"Now hold, on! Wait a second! We're here for a badge, not discounts... whoa!" 

It was too late. Once his female friends saw those low prices and great buys, there was no stopping them. 

---------- 

Later... 

Ranma moaned. Going shopping with one girl was hectic, but with three was almost unbearable. At the moment, he was carrying more than twenty boxes in his arms. Behind him, his Machoke was carrying a huge load as well. At this point, Bruiser was wishing he would evolve into a Machamp. Having four arms would make balancing the packages easier. Walking beside the martial arts Pokémon, Raiden, Razor and Sea Storm were also loaded down with goods. Ranma couldn't use Wildfire or Wind Rider since the horse's flames would have set the boxes on fire and the Pidgeton was just too big for the streets of Golden Rod City. 

"Hurry up, guys!" Jeanette called back to them. "There's a store that we want to check up on!" 

Ranma gritted his teeth. "Aw c'mon girls! Don't you think you have enough now?! We won't be able to take all this stuff along and..." Ranma then felt extremely agitated when he peeked between two boxes and saw where the girls were heading next, a lingerie shop. "Oh no! Uh-uh! _NO WAY!_ I ain't going in there!" 

"Why not?" Sam asked. 

"Because I'm a guy, remember? If I went in there, people would think I was some kind of pervert!" 

---------- 

Back on Ranma's home world, an ancient evil suddenly sneezed from within a sealed cave. 

---------- 

Ia shrugged as she pulled Ranma into a nearby alley. "No problem." She then took out a canteen from her carryall and doused him with some cold water. "There you go. You have nothing to worry about since you're girl now, Ranko. So let's go." 

"Hey, no fair!" A wet Ranko complained as she was dragged into the shop. 

---------- 

Later on, at the Golden Rod Pokémon Center... 

"I can't believe you tried to get me to wear a bra." Ranma grumbled as he emerged from the center's restrooms. He had used the hot water to change back. Currently, his Pokémon were being treated, along with Jeanette, Sam and Ia's. 

"Sorry, but we couldn't resist!" Jeanette giggled. She and her friends had already sent most of their purchases to their homes via delivery service and were now ready to face off against the Golden Rod Gym Leader. 

At that moment, Nurse Joy came up to the group with a tray full of Pokéballs. Beside her, Chansey also was carrying a tray. Raiden was walking beside it. 

"Well, here we are. All of your Pokémon are now ready to go." The Pokémon caregiver said as she handed each trainer their respective Pokémon. 

"Chansey!" 

"Pikachu!" 

"All right. Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy." Ranma said as he took his Pokéballs. 

"Excuse me, but I thought those Pokémon belonged to a red-haired girl that came in with these other girls." 

Ranma nodded. "Yeah... well, that was my cousin Ranko. She brought in my Pokémon for me. Right, Raiden?" 

"Pika!" The electric mouse nodded as he hopped onto Ranma's right shoulder. 

"I see." The nurse nodded. "So you're all going to be challenging Whitney for a Plain Badge?" 

"That's right." Ranma and the others turned to leave. 

"Good luck. Whitney is no pushover. It took a trainer named Ash Ketchum a lot of work to beat her." 

"So I've heard." 

---------- 

Much, much later... 

"Now where _IS_ that Gym?" Ranma wondered as he and this friends wandered the streets. With the many twists and turns of Golden Rod City, the group was soon lost.

"Maybe we should have asked Nurse Joy for directions?" Ia suggested. 

"We can't now." Sam shook her head. "With all these crowds and dead end streets, I don't even remember the way back to the Pokémon Center. Any luck with the guidebook, Jeanette?" 

The trainer from Crimson City shook her head as she scanned through the guidebook. "No. I can't make sense of these maps. There are just too many intersections and alleys, and we're in the heart of downtown." 

Ranma pondered it for a few minutes, then snapped his fingers. "I got it! If we can't go through the streets, then let's just go over them." 

"Huh?" All three girls said at once. 

"Follow me!" Ranma then bounded toward a nearby mailbox and used it as a springboard to leap up to a shop awning. He was followed closely by Raiden. He began gaining altitude with each leap and was soon triangle-jumping up the sides of two buildings. 

The females shrugged as they began following his lead. Ia and Jeanette were making twenty-foot leaps while Sam lagged behind at seventeen. The training that Ranma had been putting them through had begun to show as they hopped up toward the roof of a very tall building. Several people on the streets below stopped and watched in awe as the four disappeared from sight after making it to the top. 

---------- 

"Okay, Ranma. Now what?" Sam asked as they stood on the roof of a twelve-story hotel. 

"Now, we fly!" Ranma replied as he took out Wind Rider's Pokéball. "C'mon out and spread your wings!" He tossed the device into the air, which popped open and released his bird Pokémon. 

"PIDGOOOOOOOOOOO!" The huge bird caused a considerable gust of wind as he spread out his flying appendages, which nearly knocked his trainer off the roof. 

"Take it easy, pal!" Ranma called out, which caused Wind Rider to calm down as the girls began ascending the bird's back. Once everyone was aboard, the ebony avian took off. 

---------- 

High in the sky, above Golden Rod City... 

"This is so boring!" A news reporter commented as he and his cameraman rode in a traffic helicopter. "Same old skyline, same old traffic congestion, same old..." 

**_WHOOSH! KRA-KOOOOOM!_**

A black shape suddenly sped past them like a rocket, causing the helicopter to experience sudden turbulence as a sonic boom followed. The pilot fought to maintain control and managed to steady his craft after a minute. 

"_WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!_" The newsman exclaimed as he scanned the skies for whatever had past them. 

"Whatever it was, it's long gone now." The camera operator said as he had his device pointed at a tiny black dot that was receding in the distance. 

---------- 

On the Pidgeton's back... 

"Ranma! Slow down!" Sam cried out as she and the other girls clung tightly to the bird's back. Even with Wind Rider's aura protecting them from air friction and inertial forces, it was still hard to hold on. "We'll be halfway to Olivine City if Wind Rider doesn't stop!" Jeanette gasped. 

Ranma nodded as he was perched near the junction of his bird's neck. Looking down, he caught a glimpse of a structure on the ground that looked like a Gym and pointed at it. 

Catching the signal out of the corner of one eye, the Pigeton nodded and began to decelerating. 

---------- 

Outside the Golden Rod Gym... 

"Any more challengers for today?" Whitney asked one of her assistants. 

"Looks like that was the last one." The aide answered. 

"Well, then I guess it's time to close up and..." 

It was then that a gale-force wind was stirred up, causing a huge cloud of dust to blow past the two girls. A large shadow appeared on the ground, which made them look up. What they saw coming in for a landing made them shocked beyond words. It's not every day that the evolved form of a Pidgeot came to visit. 

As soon as the bird landed, the passengers quickly got off. Ia and Jeanette were bit unsteady on their feet, having some trouble with their equilibrium, while Sam was desperately trying to hold down her lunch. Ranma took several deep breaths to calm down before disembarking from his ride with his Pikachu. 

Whitney and her assistant got over their sudden surprise as they slowly approached the group. 

---------- 

"I knew I shouldn't have had that extra slice of cake for dessert." Sam moaned. 

"You girls okay? I thought by now, you'd be used to Wind Rider." Ranma asked as he let Jeanette and Ia lean on him for support. 

"Just... caught us, by surprise... that's all." Jeanette gasped. 

"Yes, we... were expecting Wind Rider to just... glide around, not take off like a missile." Ia said. 

"Sorry about that." Ranma said as he gently set Jeanette and Ia down on a nearby bench. "I guess Wind Rider was just too anxious to spread his wings." 

"I've never seen such a big Bird Pokémon before." 

All four trainers and Raiden looked over and saw the owner of the voice. 

"Hello." Whitney greeted. "Welcome to the Golden Rod Gym. Are you here to challenge for a Plain Badge?" 

Ranma nodded as he absently patted his bird's wing. Wind Rider made some gentle cooing noises and then bent down to nuzzle him. "Yeah. Me, Jeanette and Ia are here to battle the Gym Leader." 

"I'm the Gym Leader. The name's Whitney." The girl again looked up at Ranma's Pokémon with awe. "I've never seen a Pokémon like this one. What is it?" 

Ranma took out his Pokédex and held it up to Wind Rider. He had recently added new data to it. 

*PIDGETON, THE BIRD POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIDGEOT. IT IS ABLE TO FLY AT AN ALTITUDE OF THREE MILES AND CAN REACH SPEEDS OF MACH 4. ITS GUST ATTACK IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO DEMOLISH A FOUR-STORY BUILDING.* 

"An evolved Pidgeot?! Is that really possible?" Whitney was amazed to say the least. 

"Yeah, it took a lot of training and hard work to get him to this level." Ranma admitted. 

"Is it a Dark-type Pokémon?" The Gym Leader asked, noting the bird's plumage, which reminded her of a Murkrow. 

The martial artist considered his Pokémon and replied, "You know... he might be. He did stand up to Noctowl's attack. I'll have to find out more later. Right now, I'm here for a badge, so let's battle!" 

"You go on ahead. We're... not up to battling right now." Jeanette said. She and the others were still a bit dizzy from the sudden acceleration and high altitude. 

---------- 

After returning Wind Rider to his Pokéball, Ranma and Whitney faced each other off as everyone else stood on the sidelines. 

"This will be a three-on-three battle between the Gym Leader Whitney and the challenger...?" The aide looked at Ranma. "Say, what's your name?" 

"Uhhhhh..." Ranma took a deep breath, as he knew that his exploits were probably well-known by now. _Oh well. No help for it._ "It's Ranma Saotome." 

"Ranma Saotome?" Whitney repeated with interest. "Well now, this _IS_ a surprise. I was wondering when you'd get here. I've heard a _LOT_ about you. It's going to be pleasure to battle with you." 

"Let's do it!" 

Whitney took out her first Pokéball. "I choose you, Stantler!" 

Ranma took out his Pokédex and pointed it at the deer Pokémon. 

*STANTLER, THE DEER POKÉMON. THESE POKÉMON NORMALLY TRAVEL IN LARGE HERDS. ITS ANTLERS LET OFF SWEET-SMELLING ODORS THAT CAN BE USED TO CONFUSE ITS OPPONENTS. IT SPECIALIZES IN HYPNOTIC ATTACKS, BUT ITS STOMP IS ALSO POWERFUL.* 

"Okay, let's try this one!" Ranma tossed out his first Pokémon. The Pokéball opened up to reveal Bruiser. 

"Machoke!" 

Whitney nodded. _Good choice. A fighting-type Pokémon._ "STANTLER! HYPNOSIS!" 

The deer let off a grunt as it glared at Bruiser and let loose with hypnotic waves. 

"BRUISER! COVER YOUR EYES!" 

The Machoke nodded and shut his eyes tight, evading the Hypnotic Attack. 

"Not bad, Ranma, but your Pokémon can't attack what it can't see." Whitney commented. "STANTLER! STOMP!" 

The Pokémon charged at Bruiser while still emitting hypnotic waves. It readied its hooves to dish out some damage. However, Bruiser had trained with Ranma and Sea Storm for just such a situation. The martial arts Pokémon waited for his opponent to get in closer, then raised his arms to block the forelegs of the Stantler, trapping them in their powerful grip. 

"Okay, show that Stantler why I named you Bruiser!" 

"Machoke!" 

**_WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!_**

Whitney winced as her Pokémon was slammed repeatedly to the floor of the gym. Large cracks began to form in the floorboards. Bruiser had the advantage in overall brute strength and her Stantler wasn't suited for grappling. Bruiser then spun the Stantler over his head before ending with a Seismic Toss. 

"Stantler! Are you all right?" Whitney ran to her battered Pokémon. The Stantler gave a weak nod before fainting. "You did your best, Stantler. You deserve a good rest." After recalling it into its Pokémon, she stood back up and faced her opponent. "That Machoke of yours is tough, but let's see if he can handle this!" 

With these words, she through out her second Pokéball. 

"Clefairy!" 

"Huh?" Ranma looked at the cute and fluffy Pokémon as it began waving its index fingers out in front of it. 

"Clefairy! Clefairy! Clefairy!" 

"Look out, Ranma!" Sam called out. "It's using its Metronome Attack!" 

"What's that?" 

"It's totally unpredictable! Any kind of attack; water, ice, fire, wind, psychic or physical can come out!" 

A few seconds later, the Clefairy's arms glowed with a blue light and Ranma's Machoke was suddenly frozen. 

"All right! Great Disable Attack, Clefairy!" Whitney applauded. "Now use your Hypnosis Attack!" 

Like the Stantler, the Clefairy let loose with hypnotic waves. This time however, Bruiser wasn't able to avoid it with all of his muscles paralyzed, including the muscles to his eyelids. In a heartbeat, he fell backward and went to sleep. 

"Machoke is unable to battle!" The referee said. 

Ranma could only shrug as he recalled Bruiser. "Okay... that was different." _But I can see an obvious flaw in that Metronome Attack._ He considered sending in Wind Rider, but decided against it as the Gym was just too confined for the big Pokémon. He then gestured to Raiden. "You're up, buddy." 

"Pikachu!" Raiden came forward and took a ready stance. 

"HYPNOSIS ATTACK!" Whitney cried out. 

Clefairy did just that, but Raiden simply countered by sliding his headband down over his eyes. 

"METRONOME ATTACK!" 

Once again, the Clefairy began waving its arms. However, that was when Ranma demonstrated the attack's fatal flaw. 

"Raiden... knock it out." 

By using his sensitive ears to pinpoint the sound of Clefairy's voice, the electric Pokémon rushed up to it and began slapping its face. 

"Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika!" 

Clefairy fell backward in a daze after receiving ten Double Slap Attacks. Whitney had a huge sweatdrop behind her head as her aide declared Ranma's Pikachu to be the winner. 

Ranma stifled a snicker. "That Metronome is cute, Whitney... but it's got a really _SLOW_ start-up. Your Clefairy's too vulnerable while it's powering up for that attack." 

"I... see." Whitney had to admit, Ranma was right about that one. After recalling her Clefairy, she then took out her third and final Pokéball. 

Ranma and Raiden tensed up. If what they heard from Ash was true, then her third Pokémon would be... 

"I choose you!" 

"Miltank!" 

Bingo! 

Ranma considered the cow Pokémon. Despite its gentle-looking demeanor, he could see that it had some serious power and weight. Bruiser could have taken it, but he was still out like a light. Well, it was time to see if this Miltank was as tough as Ash said it was. 

"MILTANK! USE YOUR ROLLOUT ATTACK!" 

The larger Pokémon curled up into a ball and hurtled toward Ranma's Pikachu like a boulder in an avalanche. The entire floor rumbled as the Pokémon rolled toward Raiden. 

"RAIDEN! EVADE!" 

The mouse Pokémon used his agility and speed to dodge the first few passes, but when he let loose with a few Shock Attacks, he was very surprised to see Miltank shrug off the blasts. 

"You'll have to do better than that." Whitney said with pride. "Miltank's last opponent was a Pikachu and we've been training to resist against electric attacks." 

"Impressive." Ranma saw that she had trained her Pokémon in much the same way that he had trained Razor and his Buzzsaw Barrage Attack. "RAIDEN... ANYTHING GOES!" 

The electric rodent nodded as he stood his ground and began focusing his energy. He would only one chance at this. As Miltank rolled toward him, he focused on the spot in which he would strike. When he was about to be run over, the mouse shot forward and hit with a ki-energized fist at the floor. The resulting explosion caused Miltank to be propelled upward. 

Whitney gasped as she saw her Pokémon go flying. She knew that once Miltank was in the air, it was at a serious disadvantage. However, her Pokémon had learned from its earlier encounter with Ash's Pikachu. As Raiden jumped up to finish the job, Miltank threw itself into a counter spin, coming right back down at Ranma's Pikachu. This sudden reversal caught Raiden by surprise. The Miltank slammed into its opponent and sent him flying back down. 

Raiden hit the floor hard and before he could recover, Miltank came down on top of him. It was like having a Sumo wrestler landing on him. 

**_WHOMP!_**

"Raiden!" 

The cow Pokémon eased off Raiden after delivering an aerial Body Slam. 

"Good job, Miltank!" Whitney cheered. "You had me worried there!" 

"Miltank!" 

Ranma quickly ran up to his Pokémon and cradled him in his arms. "Are you all right?" 

"Pi... ka." 

"It's all right, Raiden. You can't win them all. It's time for you to rest." Ranma then walked back to his side and gently handed Raiden to Sam. Giving her a nod, he faced off against the Gym Leader while taking out another Pokéball. 

"We're tied now, Ranma!" Whitney called out. 

"And this Pokémon is going to win!" Ranma declared. "GO, RAZOR!" 

Just as he was about to throw out the Pokéball, a large explosion was heard as one of the walls of the Gym was blown out. 

"PREPARE FOR TROUBLE!" 

"AND MAKE IT DOUBLE!" 

Ranma winced. _Them again?! This is the first time I've ever had the same Team Rocket in two days!_

Whitney was also in disbelief. "You again?!" 

"TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM DEVASTATION!" 

"TO UNITE ALL PEOPLE WITHIN OUR NATION!" 

"WILL YOU JUST CUT THAT OUT?!" Ranma shouted in annoyance. "Just go away, will ya?! I don't have time to kick your butts at the speed of light!" 

Jessie became irritated at being interrupted. "Hey! It was rude when you stopped our motto before! At least let us finish!" 

Ranma snorted. "As far as I'm concerned, hearing that stupid motto once was one too many times! Now why don't you two get lost, before I pound you into next year!" Ranma's battle aura flared as he prepared to take on his would-be tormentors. 

Jessie took on a haughty look as she, Meowth and James took a pose at the hole in the wall. "Not this time!" 

"Yes!" James agreed. "This time, we've got a new secret weapon!" 

Meowth nodded as he produced a remote control. "Not only is it resistant to special attacks, but it's also punch-proof! Activating Cyber-Snorlax!" 

As Meowth pressed a large red button, a huge rumbling sound was heard. The ground trembled as everyone present heard something stomping toward the building. The roof was then torn off its foundation as Ranma and the others gasped. 

The machine was about the size of a three-story building and resembled a technological Snorlax. It let off a roar as it began reaching toward Miltank. 

"We didn't get your Miltank last time, so we might as well take it now." Meowth declared as he controlled the machine. 

"Not if I can help it!" Whitney shouted. "MILTANK! USE YOUR ROLLOUT ATTACK!" 

"Miltank!" 

The Pokémon curled up and shot toward the belly of the mechanical monster at full speed. However, the Gym Leader became shocked as she saw it rebound back without causing any damage. 

"HA HA HA HA HA!" Jessie sneered. "Our Cyber-Snorlax happens to have a rubberized outer shell that can withstand any impacts! It also has the same reflective coating as our Wonder Wheezing did, making it invulnerable to special attacks!" 

The Cyber-Snorlax shot forward with an arm and grabbed Miltank in its massive paw. 

"MILTANK!" Whitney cried out. 

Ranma gritted his teeth as he couldn't risk firing off a ki blast without endangering Miltank. Then he decided that a ground assault would be best as he threw out Razor's Pokéball. 

"Slash!" 

"BUZZSAW BARRAGE! CUT THAT THING DOWN TO SIZE!" 

The armored mouse curled up into a ball and began spinning furiously with quills extended. Though Razor cut up the floor of the Gym with ease, he too bounced back after hitting the belly of the Cyber-Snorlax. The outer coating was just too pliable for his quills to dig in. Then he too was grabbed by the machine's other paw and held aloft. Razor tried to slash away with his claws, but the weapon simply began applying pressure by closing its fist. The Sandslash didn't have any room to move, nor any leverage to work with. 

"Slash! Sandslash!" 

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Jessie and her cohorts chortled. 

"That's two Pokémon for us!" Meowth taunted. 

"Now then, you'd better surrender yourself and all your Pokémon, or else!" Jessie snapped her fingers and the machine began to squeeze even tighter. 

"RAZOR!" Ranma found himself in a tight spot. He couldn't attack, nor bring out any more Pokémon without endangering Razor and Miltank. Raiden and Bruiser were too injured from battling Whitney's Pokémon. Things looked bleak. 

Up above, Razor was still struggling to free himself, much to the amusement of Team Rocket. 

"Struggle all you want pal!" Meowth said with a smug grin. "There's _NO WAY_ you can get out of this!" 

"SLASH! SLASH!" 

Meowth chuckled as he continued to tease his helpless captive. "Oh yeah? And just what are you going to do about it?" 

At this point, the Sandslash's rage hit the boiling point. He was going to slice off that arrogant smile on Meowth's face! His struggles became even more intense and finally... it happened. Razor was suddenly enveloped in a bright nimbus of light as his eyes flared with blue. 

"What's going on?" Jessie gasped. 

"You don't suppose...?" James started out. 

"No way! It can't be!" Meowth shook his head in disbelief. 

Down on the ground Ranma, Whitney and the others were also in a state of shock. 

"Can it be?" Jeanette said. 

"Razor's... evolving!" Sam declared. 

"Pika..." Raiden breathed out. 

The mouse Pokémon gained about forty percent more muscle mass and height. The scales took on a metallic sheen and became more pronounced. The claws became a bit longer. When the light faded away, Razor suddenly burst free from the Cyber-Snorlax's grip with unprecedented strength and landed on the ground for all to see. 

He was now about the size of a Graveller and was colored silver-gray. His scales were now heavily armored, metal plates and his quills were like cutlery blades. The scales near his head formed a kind of open-face helmet and his eyes were like sapphires. His claws resembled mini-Scyther blades. He was like a walking Ginsu Knife shop. 

"Razor evolved into a Steel-Type Pokémon!" Ia gasped. 

Ranma held up his Pokédex but... 

*POKÉMON SPECIES UNKNOWN. NO DATA AVAILABLE.* 

At this moment, Meowth was _REALLY_ regretting his earlier words as Razor glared at him. 

"Heh-heh. (gulp) Hey pal... nice new look. About what I said before..." 

"Slice! Slice!" Razor growled as he prepared to attack. 

"Huh?" 

"Steel... slice!" The new Pokémon leapt high, despite its heavier form and made a downward sweep with his claws, easily slashing through the thick arm of the Cyber-Snorlax, cutting Miltank free. 

_Steelslice, eh?_ Ranma thought as he marveled at Razor's new form. _I guess that's what he is now._

After freeing Miltank, Ranma's Steelslice then decided to give Team Rocket a proper goodbye. Curling up into a ball, he launched himself at the Cyber-Snorlax, spinning a thousand times faster than ever before. His amplified Buzzsaw Barrage ripped through the rubberized outer hull, cutting the machine cleanly in half! 

Jessie and her team cried out as one half came falling toward them. 

"I guess it's time for us to spilt." Meowth squeaked. 

There was a massive explosion and guess who was sent blasting off again? 

---------- 

A few minutes later... 

"Wow! Look at this! No wonder Razor cut though their machine so easily." Sam exclaimed as she and her friends took a closer look at Ranma's Steelslice. "Look at his quills! They're diamond-tipped!" 

Sure enough, the quills had a thin, glittery substance on their edges that resembled tiny crystals. The claws had the same surfaces on their points and edges. 

"I must say that I'm very impressed!" Whitney commented. "I didn't know that a Sandslash could evolve into a Steel-Type." 

Ranma shrugged. "Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't know either. I guess that battle against Team Rocket must have... hey, wait a minute!" He snapped his fingers while turning to the Gym Leader. "You still _OWE_ me a Gym Match!" 

Whitney could only smile and nod. "I guess I do. And I have a feeling I know which Pokémon you're going to use." 

Ranma smirked as he addressed Razor. "Ready to give that new body of yours a workout?" 

"SLICE!" 

---------- 

Ranma and Whitney once again faced each other off as Miltank and Razor readied themselves. The aide and referee stood by and announced, "We will now conclude the match between challenger Ranma Saotome and Gym Leader Whitney. Begin!" 

"ROLLOUT ATTACK, MILTANK!" 

The cow went into its strongest attack and rumbled toward the Steelslice. However, Razor stood his ground and when Miltank reached him, he swung with one paw and knocked his opponent off-course. 

"Whoa! He didn't even budge!" Jeanette remarked. 

"Now that he's a Steel-Type, Razor's like a walking tank!" Sam said. 

Ranma nodded as he assessed the new power that Razor possessed. Strength and endurance had dramatically increased. He motioned for his Pokémon to attack and noted that the mouse's speed and agility hadn't changed. Apparently, Razor handled his new weight and size with ease. 

"ANYTHING GOES, RAZOR!" 

"SLICE!" Razor wasted no time and began delivering a barrage of Fury Swipes at his opponent. With more power and sharper claws, the assault was far more devastating. Even Miltank's thick hide was no protection. 

Whitney winced as her Pokémon took hits. Its strongest attack was useless against a Steelslice and Razor clearly had the advantage in close-quarters fighting. She then saw her Miltank put into a Seismic toss and thrown into the air. Razor leapt up after it and that was when Miltank began spinning for a counterattack. 

However, Razor started spinning as well and when the two Pokémon collided, it was the Steelslice that had the advantage. With his newly armored skin, sharper quills and more RPMs, he overpowered his opponent and sent it crashing down on the floor. Miltank staggered for a moment before finally fainting. 

Razor landed heavily on the floor and held up his paws in victory. The match was over. 

---------- 

Ranma pocketed the Plain Badge as he and the girls prepared to say goodbye. 

Jeanette and Ia had decided to challenge Whitney at another time, which was fine by her. The Gym Leader wanted to wait until her Pokémon were fully recovered and her Gym was rebuilt. Fortunately, she didn't blame the so-called Gym Destroyer. 

"That was quite a match, Ranma. You certainly earned that Plain Badge. I can see how you beat Prima. I've never seen Pokémon quite like yours." 

"Thanks." Ranma said as he and his friends made their final farewells. "Maybe we can battle again some day." 

"I'm looking forward to it. I'll be a much tougher opponent. You can bet on that!" Whitney gave him a wink, which made the other girls uncomfortable. 

Ranma nodded as he and his friends departed. 

---------- 

As they walked toward the outer city limits, the girls then caught sight of some shops that were offering fifty-percent discounts. Ranma could only shake his head as they dragged him toward the stores. 

"_NO WAY!_" 

"C'mon Ranma!" All three girls said as they headed toward the establishments. 

To be continued... 

Author's notes 

Well, that takes care of Johto Badge number three. As for Ranma's new Steelslice, I got the idea after looking at pictures of Skarmory and Steelix, and I figured that a metal version of Razor would be cool. Next episode, we'll be seeing new surprises and such. See you then! 


	19. Chapter 17: Goodbye and Hello Tease...

**Fist of the Pikachu**

Disclaimer: Did I do that? 

: Thoughts 

**Chapter 17**

**Goodbye and Hello**

"Ranma, are you coming?" Sam called as she and the other girls were preparing to leave Golden Rod City. After Ia and Jeanette had each challenged and won the Plain Badge, the group was all set to head off toward the next Gym. 

"Just a minute." Ranma replied as he turned back to the vid-phone. On the other end, Professor Oak was more than excited after being informed that Ranma had another new species of Pokémon. He had been expecting Ranma to send over his Pidgeton, but was quite surprised to be told that another of the martial artist's Pokémon had evolved. 

*STEELSLICE, THE MOUSE POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF SANDSLASH. STEELSLICE IS A STEEL-TYPE POKÉMON WITH HEAVILY ARMORED SCALES, AND DIAMOND-TIPPED CLAWS AND QUILLS.* 

"Amazing!" The Pokémon researcher exclaimed as Ranma put away his updated Pokédex. Razor was currently standing beside his trainer while Raiden was perched on his shoulder. 

On the other end of the line, Tracey was busy sketching away as Ranma and Oak continued to talk. 

"Well Ranma, I must say that I'm more than impressed!" Oak remarked. "Now I'm hoping that you'll send me both Wind Rider and Razor. Just think of what kind of research I could do!" 

"Yeah, well you might be seeing Wind Rider soon." Ranma admitted. "He's... just too big to keep in a city and he likes wide-open spaces. I kind of like traveling along the ground with Wildfire anyway. By the way, Prof. Oak, I was wondering..." 

"Yes?" 

"Well, I was wondering if you still had that Water Stone. You know, the one that you used to cure my little... problem?" Ranma held up the broken remnants of his Water Stone Pendant. "I... got into a little accident." 

"Oh." The Pokémon researcher nodded in understanding. "I see. I would be more than happy to send you another fragment... if I had one left." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I'm sorry to say that I used that Water Stone in my research. It was used to evolve a Staryu into a Starmie, so it doesn't work any more. It would take me several days for a new Water Stone to be delivered, and they're quite expensive." 

"That's okay, Prof." Ranma let off a sigh. "I guess I'll just have to get one on my own. In any case, I'm heading off to Ecrutek City, so I'll call you later." 

"Take care Ranma." 

---------- 

Later... 

Ranma and his friends were racing along as they made their way toward the next gym. Ranma and Jeanette were on their Rapidashes, while Sam and Ia were soaring high on Sam's Fearow. 

As he raced along on his flame horse's back, Ranma began considering what strategies he could use against the next gym leader. According to what Sam had told him, Morty was an expert with Ghost-Type Pokémon. The only Pokémon that Ranma knew of that had an advantage against such Pokémon were Psychic-types. 

_Well, I suppose Sea Storm would be a logical choice. Hmmm, this might be tricky since ghost Pokémon are mostly immune to physical attacks. All of my Pokémon are specifically trained in the martial arts. Maybe ki attacks might work._

As the group continued on their way through a narrow gorge, they were unaware of the danger that lay just up ahead... 

---------- 

"Prepare for trouble!" 

"Because we're going to burst your bubble!" 

"And reduce you to rubble!" 

(guess who?) 


End file.
